UK Special Forces whistle-blower reveals 'flat packing' slang for killing civilians in Afghanistan

Shocking testimony from a former member of the UK’s elite Special Boat Service (SBS) has shed light on the practices of its sister unit the Special Air Service (SAS) in Afghanistan, including allegations that Afghan civilians were killed indiscriminately and referred to dismissively as “flat packed”, Anadolu has reported.

The testimony was given to a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 Afghan civilians during an SAS deployment in Helmand province between 2010 and 2013, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The soldier, identified only as N1799 to protect his identity, testified in 2011 about a disturbing conversation with a member of the SAS, referred to as N1201. According to N1799, he was “shocked by the age and methods” used to kill Afghans and alleged that the SAS operated under an unofficial policy to “kill all males on target whether they posed a threat or not.”

The term “flat packing” was reportedly used in an informal setting to describe the killings, a phrase that N1799 found deeply troubling.

At another point, SAS member N1201 told N1799 during a training course that “a pillow had been put over the head of someone before they had been killed with a pistol” during operations in Afghanistan.

N1799 was an officer in the SBS at the time. He raised his concerns with superiors, but his testimony suggests that the practices went unchecked.

The revelations are part of a wider inquiry into allegations of misconduct by elite UK forces, including the SAS and SBS, during covert operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.

The inquiry has heard evidence from seven commanders and soldiers, and public summaries of N1799’s testimony were released on Wednesday, although some details remain classified for national security reasons.

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