A British special forces general is accused of playing a role in halting Afghan asylum cases in order to prevent Afghans who served with UK special forces from testifying about war crimes in Afghanistan.

The BBC’s Panorama program reported that Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins, former commander of British special forces in Afghanistan, played a role in rejecting asylum applications of Afghan commandos at the same time as an inquiry was launched in Britain into alleged war crimes, and for failing to report potential war crimes committed by UK special forces.

The report said that an officer appointed by Gen. Jenkins exerted pressure to reject the applications, and these decisions were made under the general's direct supervision.

The BBC cited internal UK ministry of defence emails and testimonies as evidence that the officer appointed by Jenkins rejected the asylum applications on "spurious" grounds.

Najib-ur-Rahman, a political analyst, said: “The majority of Afghan migrants who applied for asylum in the UK were military personnel who were at risk due to their association with British forces in Afghanistan. The widespread protests by the international community and the distress among Afghan families in the UK have intensified, while this decision by the UK blatantly violates all international laws and immigration rights.”

The report comes amid an ongoing official investigation in the UK into allegations of war crimes committed by British forces.

Abdul Sadiq Hamidzoi, a political analyst, said: “Those responsible for these acts must be prosecuted. Those who committed oppression should be held accountable, especially concerning compensation matters and the exposure of human rights violations.”

Amnesty International has also demanded full accountability following revelations of extrajudicial executions and systematic cover-ups by British special forces in Afghanistan.

“The allegations of extrajudicial killings and cover-ups by UK Special Forces in Afghanistan, as presented by BBC Panorama, are profoundly serious and would amount to war crimes. The reported deliberate killing of detainees - including children and wounded individuals  - would constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law,” Amnesty International wrote.

Aziz Maharaj, a former diplomat, commented: “Overall, Afghans were not happy with the deployment of foreign troops, and neither were military personnel. As a result, many harbor resentment and have thoughts of revenge. Even now, some generals, like the British ones, still hold grudges and show no intention of apologizing.”

This revelation follows earlier BBC reports in which more than thirty former members of British special forces, including the Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Boat Service (SBS), disclosed details of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. These included extrajudicial killings, executions of handcuffed prisoners, and the killing of civilians, including children.