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.

SOAS ICOP 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. He holds an LLM in International Law, where his thesis focused on US drone warfare. Khalil has over a decade of experience in legal investigations, including fieldwork in MENA.

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. Overton has reported from over two dozen conflict zones and is the author of two acclaimed books, Gun Baby Gun and The Price of Paradise.

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. Althea is also the author of Security, Development and Violence in Afghanistan: Everyday Stories of Intervention that was published in 2020.

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. Lutz has published widely on human rights law, including a co-authored textbook on International Human Rights Law and Practice.