With the start of investigations into the involvement of British forces in the killing of 54 people in Afghanistan, the head of the investigation committee confirmed that any soldier who violated the law would be subject to investigation.
The head of a public inquiry into "very serious" allegations of dozens of extrajudicial killings by British forces in Afghanistan said on Wednesday that any soldier who broke the law would be investigated.
The British Ministry of Defense ordered this independent investigation last December, after the BBC television channel showed a documentary film, which stated that soldiers from the British Special Air Force killed 54 people in Afghanistan in suspicious circumstances.
The investigation came after two families began taking legal action to ask judges to consider their case after they accused the Special Air Force of killing their relatives in 2011 and 2012.
"The allegations which the commission must look into, and I assure you are only allegations at this stage, are very serious," the inquiry's chairman, Justice Charles Haddon-Keif, told reporters at the launch of the official inquiry.
He added that the investigation would look into whether British soldiers had been involved in illegal activity between mid-2010 and mid-2013 during “deliberate detentions” and whether there was credible information about extrajudicial killings.
He indicated that the committee would consider the validity of the investigations conducted by the military police and whether any unlawful killings were covered up to prevent them from "appearing forever".
He continued, "It is important that anyone who breaks the law be referred to the relevant authorities for investigation. Likewise, those who have done nothing wrong must remain beyond suspicion. This is crucial, both for the reputation of the armed forces and the state."