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Special forces chief tried to cover up concerns about SAS conduct in Afghanistan, inquiry told

Whistleblower says chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of children, after alarm was raised

The former director of UK special forces and other senior military officers tried to cover up concerns that SAS units were carrying out unlawful killings in Afghanistan, an inquiry has heard.

A senior special forces whistleblower said the chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of two small children, after the alarm was first raised in early 2011. That failure allegedly allowed them to continue until 2013.

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© Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

© Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

© Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

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Afghans Who Assisted U.S. During the War Underwent Rigorous Vetting

Former officials said the C.I.A. diligently assessed those who partnered with its forces, like the man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, said the man accused of shooting two National Guard members, an Afghan who had worked with U.S. forces during the war in his country, “should have never been allowed to come here.”
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Taliban used discarded UK kit to track down Afghans who worked with west, inquiry hears

Whistleblower tells Afghan leak inquiry those affected were told to move and change phone numbers to protect themselves

The UK left behind sensitive technology allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans who worked with western forces, a whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry.

The woman, known as Person A, said Afghans affected by the data leak were told to move homes and change their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban because it had the resources to track them down.

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© Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA

© Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA

© Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA

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The bird people of Lake Manchar: surviving in a vanishing oasis

The Mohana of Pakistan’s Sindh province once thrived on the lake but pollution and drought have caused the fragile ecosystem to collapse, along with their way of life

At the mouth of Lake Manchar, gentle lapping disturbs the silence. A small boat cuts through the water, propelled by a bamboo pole scraping the muddy bottom of the canal.

Bashir Ahmed manoeuvres his frail craft with agility. His slender boat is more than just a means of transport. It is the legacy of a people who live to the rhythm of water: the Mohana. They have lived for generations on the waters of Lake Manchar in Sindh province, a vast freshwater mirror covering nearly 250 sq km. The lake, once the largest in Pakistan, was long an oasis of life. Now, it is dying.

Bashir Ahmed in his boat on the lake, next to simple huts built on top of the right bank outfall drain

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© Photograph: Guillaume Petermann

© Photograph: Guillaume Petermann

© Photograph: Guillaume Petermann

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