Afghanistan War Crimes Probe: Ex-RMP Commander Admits Holding Back Key Photos
Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey told the Independent Inquiry that images of 17 dead Afghan men were not sent to forensic experts despite showing signs of gunshot wounds.
By Luis Medina ·
The Independent Inquiry into Afghanistan is examining the Royal Military Police’s handling of evidence from a 2014 special forces investigation. On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the inquiry heard testimony from a former senior commander who admitted to withholding visual evidence from the case file.
Operation Northmoor began in 2014 and cost 10 million pounds. It investigated allegations that UK Special Forces executed civilians, including children, in Afghanistan. The operation ran from 2014 to 2019 and resulted in no prosecutions. Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey OBE served as Gold Commander for the operation from 2016 to 2019. He received an OBE in 2020, the year he left the army.
Counsel to the inquiry, Oliver Glasgow KC, presented photographs of 17 dead Afghan men. Military records identified them as EKIAs, or Enemy Killed in Action. They died during two Deliberate Detention Operations in February 2011. Nine bodies appeared in photos from an operation on February 7. Eight bodies appeared in photos from an operation on February 9. All 17 men had apparent gunshot wounds to the head.
Harvey stated that the images of the men on February 7 did not seem right. He noted that each man showed signs of traumatic bleeding to the face or head. Many lay next to items that appeared to be blood-stained pillows. Glasgow pointed out that while the inquiry copies were of reduced quality, Harvey had access to original JPEG files. Harvey admitted he could have sent the higher-quality images to experts. He conceded that the photos cried out for examination but were never submitted.
Glasgow referenced earlier testimony from an officer who was told by an SAS member that the unit had a policy of killing all fighting-age males on sight. Harvey acknowledged that the photographs made him think of that evidence. He agreed that the failure to submit the images deprived all parties of potentially valuable information. That information might have cleared special forces of wrongdoing.
Photos from the February 9 operation showed two EKIAs lying in the corners of a room. One man lay on what appeared to be bedding. A pillow next to his head was heavily stained with blood, and spatter was visible on the wall. Harvey accepted that these details, including a possible blanket across one man’s chest, potentially suggested the pair were sleeping. He agreed that the only reason to withhold the photos would be because people did not want the answers to come out.
The inquiry continues its review of Operation Northmoor. Harvey’s testimony addresses the specific decision not to forward photographic evidence to forensic specialists during the active investigation period.
