Afghan War Probe: Ex-Military Commander Admits He Held Back Key Photos

Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey OBE conceded on Tuesday that he withheld critical photographic evidence from a major UK war crimes investigation. The former head of Operation Northmoor appeared before the Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan to explain why he did not forward specific images to specialists. He described the photos as looking incorrect but stated they were never submitted for deeper scrutiny.

Operation Northmoor was a 10 million pound probe launched in 2014. It examined allegations that UK Special Forces executed combatants, including children, in Afghanistan. The inquiry produced no prosecutions. During the hearing, the panel reviewed images of seventeen dead Afghan men classified as Enemy Killed in Action in military records.

The first set of photographs, dated 7 February 2011, showed nine men with traumatic head or face bleeding. Several were lying next to blood-stained pillows. Oliver Glasgow KC, counsel to the inquiry, noted that Harvey viewed high-quality JPEG originals, though the panel only saw low-quality copies. Harvey admitted the images of men with apparent gunshot wounds to the head cried out for examination. He acknowledged that he could have sent the higher-resolution files to experts but did not.

Harvey made this admission after an SAS member told an officer that the force had a policy of killing all fighting-age males on sight, regardless of the threat they posed. The second set of images, dated 9 February 2011, depicted eight more EKIAs. Two men were lying in room corners, one on bedding with a blood-stained pillow and spatter on the wall. Harvey accepted that a blanket across one man’s chest could suggest the pair were sleeping when they died.

Glasgow argued that failing to investigate these details deprived all parties of information that might have cleared Special Forces of wrongdoing. Harvey agreed with this assessment. He stated that parties might avoid examining photos only if they do not want the answers to surface. The inquiry continues its review of how the original military probe handled evidence.

Harvey served as the Gold commander for Operation Northmoor from 2016 to 2019. He left the army in 2020, the same year he received an OBE for his work in that role. His testimony places the handling of visual evidence at the center of the current independent review.