Police investigate claims that UK soldiers abused Afghan civilians

Police have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that British soldiers mistreated civilians during the war in Afghanistan.
More than 100 people claim they were criminally abused and ill-treated over an eight year period in the conflict.  The Royal Military Police (RMP) are leading the independent investigation.

Armed Forces minister Penny Mordaunt has voiced concern that the military are sometimes subjected to "ludicrous legal claims".

In a blog post on the Ministry of Defence website, following a report about Operation Northmoor in the Daily Mail, Ms Mordaunt said she was concerned that legal action against the military called into question its ability to operate effectively.

"A large number of compensation claims and judicial reviews" are time-consuming and can cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds, she said.

The UK's 13-year military operation in Afghanistan began in 2001, with the last combat troops withdrawing last year.  At the height of the war in 2009, about 10,000 UK troops were based at Camp Bastion and the UK's 137 patrol bases in southern Afghanistan. - Read More at BBC

Police investigate claims that UK soldiers abused Afghan civilians