The UK's SAS inquiry on Afghanistan: Night raids and targeted killings

Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion on the UK’s Independent Inquiry into alleged misconduct and human rights violations by the SAS in Afghanistan.

At the heart of the inquiry lie grave allegations: extrajudicial killings, unlawful civilian deaths, and a culture of impunity within military operations. Drawing on original BBC reporting, the discussion will explore the legal, ethical, and moral fault lines of modern warfare—from night raids to the state’s role in sanctioning lethal force.

About the speakers

SOAS ICOP in collaboration with the Nomos Foundation is delighted to host:

• Khalil Dewan, a PhD Nomos Scholar in Law at SOAS University of London, researching British targeted killings through international law and socio-legal methods, with a focus on lived experiences of drone strikes and night raids. 
• Ajmal Sulaiman, a British Afghan, born in Afghanistan, who spent most of his life there, witnessing the Russian invasion, the chaos of civil war, and the brutality of coalition forces.
• Dr Althea Maria-Rivas is senior lecturer in Global Development, Peace and Conflict in the department of Development Studies at SOAS. Her research has involved extensive fieldwork in the politics of development, conflict, humanitarian intervention and peace, with a focus on Central Asia, West and East Africa. 
• Prof. Lutz Oette is Professor of International Human Rights Law at SOAS and co-director of the SOAS Centre for Human Rights Law. He has extensive experience working with civil society actors, academic counterparts, and others on the prohibition of torture and justice for torture survivors worldwide. 
• Dr. Iain Overton, the Executive Director of Action on Armed Violence where he investigates human rights abuses in conflict. He runs the new MA in Human Rights Reporting at SOAS, where he will teach from September 2025 investigative journalism with a focus on conflict and human rights.