News

The Inquiry commissioned a preliminary expert report into Operation Northmoor, the Royal Military Police investigation into allegations arising from operations in Afghanistan.  The report was authored by the former Chief Constable of Kent Police, Alan Pughsley QPM.  Mr Pughsley also gave OPEN evidence to the Inquiry in January 2025. This report concluded that Operation Northmoor was poorly led, inadequately resourced, and failed to meet the standards expected of a major investigation.

The report does not make findings that unlawful killings occurred, nor does it determine criminal liability for any individual. Instead, it sets out in detail how Mr Pughsley considers that structural weaknesses, leadership failures and repeated changes in strategy and personnel undermined the investigation’s effectiveness from an early stage.

In accordance with its Terms of Reference, the Inquiry has today published details of how it will consider the Law of Armed Conflict.

The Inquiry has engaged leading international law expert Professor Tim McCormack to assist the Chair in understanding the principles of the Law of Armed Conflict and International Criminal Law

Professor McCormack has been instructed to consider and provide written OPEN submissions on a list of topics.

The Chair will then determine the relevant international and domestic legal framework in the light of all the evidence and submissions.

All submissions will be published on the Inquiry website in due course

The Chair of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, the Rt Hon Lord Justice Haddon-Cave has today published a call for information directly to the Afghan families who are affected by the Inquiry’s work.

The video, which has been translated into Dari and Pashto in written and audio form, is available to view on the Inquiry’s YouTube account.

In the video, the Chair explains the work of the Inquiry and invites anyone who feels they have any relevant information concerning the Inquiry’s work, to get in touch.

The Inquiry has published four OPEN summaries of evidence from witnesses (N1466, N1803,
N2444 and N5461) who were heard in CLOSED hearings during the Concerns and Complaints
Part Two phase of the Inquiry.

The Concerns and Complaints Part Two CLOSED phase of work focused on eight individuals
who held key posts within UK Special Forces during the period of mid-2010 to mid-2013. The
evidence they gave related to concerns that were raised about the tactics, techniques and
procedures used by UK Special Forces to conduct deliberate detention operations in
Afghanistan. The remaining evidence summaries will be published in 2026.
The Inquiry also heard evidence regarding allegations of extra judicial killings which were
raised by the Afghan Partner Unit and a Third-Party Entity. These witnesses provided a written statement to the Inquiry following a Rule 9 request (under the Inquiry Rules 2006) and gave evidence in CLOSED hearings during the summer of 2024.

The Inquiry has published redacted written statements, redacted documents (such as email
correspondence) and a summary of the CLOSED hearing transcripts. The summaries of the
CLOSED hearing transcripts have been redacted in order to protect the identity of the
witnesses and for reasons of National Security.

The Chair of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, has shared a 2025 progress update. A video summary is available on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel Inquiry Update – October 2025 – YouTube

Highlights include:

• Rejection of MOD’s request to delay publication and impose blanket redactions.
• Upcoming release of CLOSED hearing evidence on Special Forces operations and alleged Extra Judicial Killings.
• Potentially important information disclosure pauses Deliberate Detention Operations hearings.
• Multi-disciplinary forensic expert review of documents and imagery underway.
• Forensic examination of the alleged wiping of IT server ‘ITS1’ linked to Operation Northmoor.
• Ongoing legal challenge to Green Hearings ruling – procedural judgment has been published.  Next hearing likely in the New Year.

The Inquiry has today published a Ruling made by the Chair of the Inquiry, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, in relation to the Ministry of Defence Corporate Team (“MODCT”)’s application to restrict publication of the Alan Pughsley Report; an Executive Summary, Addendum Report, and various supporting documents (“the Pughsley Material”).

A full summary can be found here, the full Ruling can be found here.

The Inquiry has published the Chair’s Ruling on the approach to ‘Green’ Hearing Restriction Orders.

In June 2024, the Inquiry published Counsel to the Inquiry (CTI)’s original Note setting out a proposal as to how the Inquiry could receive oral evidence from certain confidential witnesses. CTI proposed holding Restricted Closed Hearings which protects their identity and strictly limits disclosure of the hearing bundle and attendance at any hearing.

In May 2025, the Chair received a further CTI Note with regard to specific confidential witnesses whom it was proposed to call in strictly controlled conditions now known as the ‘Green’ Hearings.

During these ‘Green’ Hearings, the Inquiry anticipates receiving oral evidence relating to allegations of misconduct by UK Special Forces in Afghanistan, including in particular, “…evidence regarding an occasion during a Deliberate Detention Operation (“DDO”) when an individual was shot in the head whilst they slept”.

In response to the CTI Note, the Inquiry received detailed submissions from Core Participants and the Media. The Chair’s analysis of these submissions and his decision as to the applicable general principles and approach to ‘Green’ Hearings is set out in his OPEN Ruling on Approach to ‘Green’ Hearing Restriction Orders.

The Inquiry also received an Application for ‘Green’ Hearing Restriction Orders.

The Inquiry has published the Chair’s OPEN Ruling on Application for a ‘Green’ Hearing Restriction Orders.

The Ruling protects the witnesses’ identities and strictly restricts disclosure of evidence and attendance at the ‘Green’ hearings. In making this ruling, the Chair has applied the principles and approach set out in the OPEN Ruling on Approach to Green Hearing Restriction Orders’ of 21 June 2025.

In December 2023, the Inquiry heard evidence in OPEN regarding allegations that an IT server used by UK Special Forces had been forensically wiped as part of a cover-up to obstruct the ongoing Royal Military Police investigation, Operation Northmoor. For the purposes of the Inquiry, the IT Server is referred to by the cypher ‘ITS1’

At the hearing, Leading Counsel to the Inquiry, Oliver Glasgow KC and Jonathan Polnay KC, examined witnesses from UKSF, the RMP and independent IT contractors regarding events that took place between October 2015 and February 2017; and witness statements from UKSF and British Army Officers were read into the record by Junior Counsel, Miss Rosheen Iyer.

The Inquiry heard evidence that, in October 2015, the RMP decided as part of its Operation Northmoor investigations that it was necessary to forensically examine ITS1 located at the higher Headquarters of UKSF. Attempts were made by the RMP to gain access to the server, but the RMP were told by USKF that this would cause difficulties due to the possible impact on ongoing operations. The RMP decided not to use their powers to seize the server, but instead chose to enter into lengthy negotiations with UKSF. During the course of negotiations, the RMP were informed that the data on ITS1 was due to be migrated to a new platform as part of a ‘life extension programme’. The RMP sought assurance in October 2016 that the data on ITS1 would not be modified or deleted, this assurance was given by UKSF headquarters.

In December 2016, the RMP attended the UKSF headquarters to begin the process of retrieving the data only to be informed that despite the previous assurance, ITS1 had been forensically wiped. It transpired that a programme known as ‘S-delete’ had been run on ITS1 as part of a system migration process, which resulted in already deleted data being permanently deleted.

In March 2023, the Inquiry had issued a Rule 9 to the Ministry of Defence requesting the location and accessibility of any back-ups of ITS1. The whereabouts of possible back-up drives were not disclosed to the Inquiry at this stage.

However, in the course of the OPEN hearings in December 2023, the Inquiry received information as to the whereabouts of back-up drives of ITS1. The Inquiry, with the independent support of the Defence Serious Crime Command, seized drives containing terabytes of ITS1 data from UKSF locations.

A phased, methodical and highly sophisticated approach has been taken by the Inquiry team to explore technical options and allow a forensic examination of the relevant data:

Phase 1 – The creation of a forensically secure master copy and a working copy of a back-up drive to preserve the integrity of the material.

Phase 2 – Identification of appropriate IT systems, a secure location and suitably qualified and vetted personnel to examine the material.

Phase 3 – The analytical examination and review of material that is relevant to the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.

Following meticulous and ground-breaking technical work to complete Phases 1 and 2, the Inquiry has now begun work on Phase 3.