British special forces, including the SAS and Special Boat Service, have been covertly deployed in 19 countries over the past 12 years, according to a study by the research group Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). The deployments, which span nations such as Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and Sudan, have raised serious concerns about transparency and democratic oversight, the group said.
The report, based on media leaks, details missions conducted without public confirmation from ministers. In Syria, special forces entered from 2012 to assist rebel groups and reportedly identified military targets in 2013 ahead of a bombing campaign that MPs later rejected. The death of SAS member Matt Tonroe in Syria in 2018 was officially attributed to the Parachute Regiment, with the cause later revealed as an accidental grenade detonation by a US colleague.
Leaked Pentagon papers earlier this year listed 50 UK special forces personnel in Ukraine, compared to 14 from the US and 15 from France, despite Britain not being formally party to the conflict. The report notes that special forces can be deployed without parliamentary approval, and their actions are not subject to investigation by any Commons committee.
In 2015, after a terrorist attack in Tunisia that killed 38 people, including 30 Britons, then-Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly gave the SAS 'carte blanche' to capture or kill Islamist leaders in the Middle East. A public inquiry began in March into allegations that the SAS carried out 54 summary killings in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.
Special forces also participated in the rescue of British diplomats from Sudan in April, though the Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not mention their involvement, instead crediting the Parachute Regiment, Royal Marines, and RAF. The only reported deployment in Russia was in 2014, when SAS soldiers were said to protect British athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
The full list of countries includes Algeria, Estonia, France, Oman, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Cyprus, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. An MoD spokesperson reiterated the government's longstanding policy of not commenting on special forces activities.
