LONDON
\nA UK government minister is on a collision course with the law over his refusal to reveal the sources of allegations that British special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
\nJohnny Mercer, Britain\u2019s minister for veterans, has said \u201cmultiple officers\u201d told him about alleged murders and a subsequent cover-up during the Afghan conflict.
\nHe has refused to divulge their identities to a public inquiry examining whether a unit executed males of \u201cfighting age\u201d who posed no threat in the war-torn country between 2010 and 2013.
\nThe Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan published a statement on Tuesday saying it had ordered Mercer, 42, to hand over the names next week or face a potential prison sentence.
\nIt revealed that it had issued the MP with a Section 21 notice under Britain\u2019s Inquiries Act 2005 on March 13.
\nThe published order compels Mercer to provide a witness statement containing the names of the whistleblowers by 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday April 5.
\nFailure to comply without a reasonable excuse would be \u201ca criminal offense punishable with imprisonment and\/or a fine,\u201d the notice says.
\nSigned by the probe\u2019s chairman, Charles Haddon-Cave, it adds that the High Court in London could enforce the order through contempt of court proceedings, which \u201cmay result in imprisonment.\u201d
\nThe order insists the names \u201cwill be treated in confidence\u201d and would not be disclosed to anyone who is not a member of the inquiry\u2019s legal team without Mercer\u2019s consent.
\nIf he is unable to fulfil the order or believes it is unreasonable, then he has until April 3 to appeal. Mercer is expected to do so.
\nHe repeatedly refused to disclose the names when he gave evidence to the inquiry last month, during a series of testy exchanges with the inquiry\u2019s counsel.
\nMercer also refused to reveal the name of a Special Boat Service (SBS) member who said he had been asked to carry a \u201cdrop weapon\u201d \u2014 a weapon taken on an operation to place next to an unarmed individual.
\n\u201cThe one thing you can hold on to is your integrity and I will be doing that with these individuals,\u201d said Mercer.
\nHaddon-Cave accused the minister of obstructing the inquiry, saying he had a \u201cmisguided understanding of the term integrity and an inappropriate sense of loyalty.\u201d
\nMercer is himself a former British Army officer who served three tours of Afghanistan. He has been a Conservative MP in Plymouth, southwest England, since 2015.
\nMercer isn\u2019t shy of the limelight. He once appeared half-naked in an advert for shower gel and in 2018 took part in a reality TV show where he had to go on the run and avoid capture by an expert team of hunters.
\nHe is not speaking publicly about the stand-off with the inquiry but allies say his stance is driven by a desire to protect the idea that service personnel and veterans can approach lawmakers in confidence.
\nThey add that the whistleblowers have significant mental health issues and are therefore vulnerable.
\nPeople familiar with Mercer\u2019s thinking say he is concerned about the prospect of jail time but will only divulge the names if the sources give him permission to.
\nPrime Minister Rishi Sunak\u2019s office refused to comment specifically on Mercer\u2019s case but said people should \u201cof course\u201d comply with public inquiries.
\nAfghan families have accused UK special forces of conducting a \u201ccampaign of murder\u201d against civilians, while senior officers and personnel at the Ministry of Defense \u201csought to prevent adequate investigation.\u201d
\nThe BBC reported in 2022 that one SAS squadron had killed at least 54 people, including detainees and children, in suspicious circumstances during one six-month tour of Afghanistan.
\nThe inquiry is scrutinizing two investigations conducted by the Royal Military Police, which is responsible for the policing of army personnel.
\nNo charges were brought under Operation Northmoor, which was set up in 2014 to examine allegations of executions by special forces, including those of children.
\nThree soldiers were referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority, but none was prosecuted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON A UK government minister is on a collision course with the law over his refusal to reveal the sources of allegations that British special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Johnny Mercer, Britain\u2019s minister for veterans, has said \u201cmultiple officers\u201d told him about alleged murders and a subsequent cover-up during the Afghan conflict. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-396755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n