London - Saba:
British Defense Secretary John Healey has appointed General Gwyn Jenkins, who was implicated in a scandal surrounding the killing of Afghan civilians by British commandos, as Commander of the Royal Navy.
A statement on the British government website, quoting the Defense Secretary on Thursday, read: "I extend my warmest congratulations to General Sir Gwyn Jenkins on his appointment as First Lord of the Admiralty and Chief of the Naval Staff. He is the first Commander of the Marines to be appointed to this position, and it is a momentous moment for the Royal Navy."
The statement indicated that Jenkins' appointment received the approval of King Charles III.
British television reports, citing interviews with former Special Forces soldiers, revealed that members of the British Special Air Service (SAS) committed murders against unarmed civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq, including children, and executed prisoners and people in their sleep. General Gwyn Jenkins, who commanded British Special Forces in Afghanistan at the time, failed to report these crimes to the military police.
He later oversaw the rejection of hundreds of asylum applications to the UK from Afghan Special Forces personnel who fought alongside British forces against the Taliban and who could have provided testimony about the events.
Nevertheless, the British Defense Secretary affirmed his full confidence in the General.
In December 2022, the British Ministry of Defense announced an independent investigation into allegations of unlawful actions committed by British armed forces in Afghanistan between mid-2010 and mid-2013.
The investigation focuses on allegations that British Special Forces personnel killed more than 50 unarmed Afghan civilians during operations between 2010 and 2011.
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