British special forces have conducted covert operations in at least 19 countries over the past 12 years, from the Middle East to Ukraine, through North Africa and Central Europe. This was revealed by Action on Armed Violence, a research group that has compiled a long list of its activities since 2011 based on media leaks. Maintained in absolute secrecy, these regiments would carry out high-risk missions for years in areas of the United Kingdom where it was not militarily engaged, putting the effectiveness of “democratic control” over their work in question.
Groups such as the Special Air Service (SAS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) and Special Boat Service (SBS) allegedly conduct various counter-terrorism operations, hostage rescue and signaling to military targets. In Syria, one of the countries where special forces are most active, in 2013 multiple teams are said to have identified the military targets of a bombing campaign that was later opposed by the British Parliament. Special forces would enter Syrian territory as early as 2012 to support the rebels in their fight against the Bashar al-Assad regime, the Guardian reported.
These elite military units would act in secret, without any political force confirming their activities. These militias can be deployed without the approval of Parliament and their actions subsequently subjected to any investigation by parliamentary commissions. After the attack in Tunisia in 2015 that killed 38 people, including 30 British, Prime Minister David Cameron gave these regiments “full authority” to capture or kill a number of Islamic leaders in the region, as well as the perpetrators of the terrorist act. Middle East.
According to the study, although the United Kingdom is not a party to the conflict, there are currently at least 50 special forces members in Ukraine. The information may have leaked from some Pentagon documents, which would indicate the presence of 15 and 14 French and American militias, respectively. small numbers Last April, British private militia allegedly participated in the rescue of more than 20 British diplomats – and their families – stranded in Khartoum, Sudan following the outbreak of civil war. Similar operations have taken place in Nigeria and the Philippines in the past, where British forces also actively participated in the training of local soldiers. According to the research team, the only deployment in Russia mentioned in the media dates back to 2014, when a tabloid newspaper reported that the SAS militia was “ready” to protect the safety of British athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
“The deployment of British special forces in many countries over the past decade raises serious concerns about transparency and democratic scrutiny,” said AOAV Executive Director Iain Overton. “The lack of parliamentary approval and retrospective reviews for these missions is deeply worrying.” The secrecy surrounding these elite regiments is a practice of British politics. A defense ministry spokesman said, “It is a longstanding form of work that country governments do not comment on the activities of special forces.” said. The strictness of this privacy policy on the subject is so high that the death of SAS member Matt Tonroe on Syrian soil in 2018 was reported as the death of a member of the Parachute Regiment.
However, a public investigation was launched last March into the illegal activities of special forces in Afghanistan against international law. In fact, between 2010 and 2011, Sas militia would be the protagonist of at least 54 extrajudicial killings against Afghan men taken from inside their homes and executed for allegedly “making firearms”. The full list of countries affected by the presence of British special forces also includes Algeria, Estonia, Oman, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Cyprus, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and France. This list was sent to the British Ministry of Defense, which reiterated that it would not comment on the actions of special forces.
Source: Today IT

Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.