LONDON, England: The UK government has blocked the appointment of General Gwyn Jenkins, a former general implicated in covering up SAS war crimes in Afghanistan, from becoming the country’s national security adviser.
Jenkins was appointed by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in April, but the decision was reversed by Sunak’s successor, Labour leader Keir Starmer, after his party’s landslide victory in the July general election.
Jenkins, a former deputy head of the armed forces, faced scrutiny over his knowledge of alleged extra-judicial killings by the SAS during the Afghanistan war, which a public inquiry suggested formed a “pattern of extra-judicial killings.”
Richard Hermer KC, now the government’s chief legal adviser, represented the Afghan victims’ families in the inquiry, where Jenkins was anonymously referred to as “N1785.” Hermer accused Jenkins of failing to inform military police about the killings and allowing evidence of war crimes to remain hidden.
Starmer, during a news conference, emphasized a commitment to an “open and transparent process” for appointing a new national security adviser but did not comment on individual appointments. While Jenkins’ appointment has been canceled, he remains eligible to reapply for the position.
