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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

UK minister says he ‘cannot disprove’ claims Afghans were unlawfully killed

Johnny Mercer arriving in Downing Street for a cabinet meeting
Johnny Mercer arriving in Downing Street for a cabinet meeting on Monday. The veterans minister completed his final tour of Afghanistan in 2010. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

The UK’s minister for veterans, Johnny Mercer, has effectively admitted in front of a public inquiry that he believed members of the SAS had engaged in dozens of unlawful killings of Afghan civilians between 2010 and 2013.

Mercer told the inquiry on Tuesday that at one point, shortly after first becoming a minister in 2019, Mercer said he told the then defence secretary, Ben Wallace, that “something stinks”. His boss replied: “There is no new evidence, Johnny,” and the cabinet minster chose not to take any further action.

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