In a note dated 7 April 2011, a senior officer warned the director of UK special forces about the policy, sharing concerns from the unit's commanding officer.

But the senior officer, codenamed N1466, said a "conscious decision" was made to cover up potential war crimes by the unit, dubbed UKSF1.

The document was released by the Afghanistan Inquiry after evidence was given in closed hearings by UK special forces members.

In the note, N1466 – who was assistant chief of staff for operations in UKSF headquarters – described what he'd heard from the unit's commanding officer.

"He felt that this was... possibly a deliberate policy among the current (sub-unit) to engage and kill fighting-aged males on target even when they did not pose a threat," the note read.

"He had been approached by some of his men who recounted separate conversations with (trained) members of UKSF1 in which such suggestions had been made."

The note explained that the unit's commanding officer "is sure that they are accurately reporting what they are hearing from colleagues".

And while N1466 conceded that the allegation could be simply a "rumour" or a "wind up", he said "the context would not support either assertion".

'Rumour could prove explosive'

He continued: "The very fact that this rumour is circulating is in itself distasteful and in my view unacceptable to UKSF ethos and UKSF dynamics - it could prove explosive.

"Clearly, if there is anything more than rumour behind it then elements of UKSF have strayed into indefensible ethical and legal behaviour."

He concluded: "My instinct is that this merits deeper investigation."

However, the director, known to the inquiry as N1802, made a "conscious decision" to cover up potential war crimes, N1466 claimed.

The senior officer further accused the director of controlling information about alleged murders "in a way that I think indicated a desire to keep it low profile".

N1466 said he became concerned that data from deliberate detention operations (DDOs), including the number of weapons found compared with the number of enemies killed, "didn't seem credible".

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The director shared his view, he believed, but chose to handle the information in a "way which limited the spread of the damage outside the headquarters".

N1802 failed to "ever talk about possible criminal activity", the officer alleged, instead initiating a review of the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) used by the sub-unit in question in April 2011.

Review 'was a charade'

In his witness statement, the officer recalled feeling that the TTP review was intended as a "warning shot across the bows" of the unit.

But, he said, "it was obvious that it was a charade".

"I was sure at the time and I remain sure that N1802 knew what was happening on the ground," he said.

"The speed of N1802's response and the absence of any further mention or investigation of unlawful activity only fortified my belief that he was aware of what was going on."

Among the documents released by the inquiry was a summary of an interview between N1466 and the Royal Military Police (RMP) in October 2018.

During the exchange, the officer described an incident where members of UKSF1 went to clear a compound and found a room where people were hiding under a mosquito net.

Claims incident was 'covered up'

The document read: "They did not reveal themselves, so the UKSF1 shot at the net until there was no movement.

"When the net was uncovered it was women and children.

"The incident was covered up and the individual who did the shooting was allegedly given some form of award to make it look legitimate."

N1466 also told the inquiry why he was speaking out, saying "it's not loyalty to your organisation to stand by and to watch it go down a sewer".

In his remarks, he referred to the alleged 2012 shooting of two children – Imran and Bilal, sons of Hussain Uzbakzai and his wife Ruqquia Haleem – who were in their beds.

He said: "I know a lot of my colleagues... didn't join UKSF for this sort of behaviour, you know, toddlers to get shot in their beds or random killing.

"It's not special, it's not elite, it's not what we stand for and most of us I don't believe would either wish to condone it or to cover it up."

He added: "Even if you subscribe to some sort of idea that most of the people who were killed were Taliban fighters, which I do not... Imran and Bilal, at one-and-a-half and three, certainly were not."

Concluding, he said: "UKSF units, not least UKSF1, stand out for their proud history; the courageous and extraordinary feats made by truly remarkable people.

"The activity that we have discussed in the last few days does not fit with that and somehow the amount of kills and the amount of trigger time have become the metric by which people judge themselves."

Afghan families claim UKSF conducted a "campaign of murder" against civilians, and that senior officers and personnel at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) "sought to prevent adequate investigation".

Operation Northmoor, a £10m investigation set up in 2014 to examine allegations of executions by special forces, including those of children, resulted in no prosecutions.

A RMP investigation, dubbed Operation Cestro, resulted in three soldiers being referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority, but again, none of them were prosecuted.

An MoD spokesperson said: "The government is fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan as it continues its work, and we are hugely grateful to all former and current defence employees who have so far given evidence.

"We also remain committed to providing the support that our special forces deserve, whilst maintaining the transparency and accountability that the British people rightly expect from their armed forces.

"It is appropriate that we await the outcome of the inquiry's work before commenting further."

The inquiry continues.

The Ukrainian president will be accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska and meet Mr Martin, president Catherine Connolly and foreign minister Helen McEntee.

Mr Martin said he and Mr Zelenskyy would be holding a bilateral meeting, as well as attending the inauguration of the Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum, which he said "offers an opportunity to explore the potential for strengthened business-to-business, trade and investment links between Ireland and Ukraine".

Speaking ahead of the visit, the Taoiseach said: "It is an honour to welcome President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to Ireland.

"Around the world, he is rightly recognised as someone who embodies the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who have inspired the world in their brave defence of their country and its sovereignty since it was brutally and illegally invaded by Russia.

"I have met with President Zelenskyy many times, including in Kyiv, but I particularly look forward to greeting him on this first official visit of a Ukrainian president to Ireland."

Ireland has been a staunch ally of Ukraine's since Russia began its invasion in 2022, offering some 120,000 Ukrainians a safe haven.

US-Ukraine talks begin in Florida

The Ireland announcement comes after Mr Zelenskyy's top team engaged in peace talks with the US for several hours in Florida on Sunday.

The US-Ukraine talks were quickly organised after Donald Trump released a 28-point proposal that was largely seen to be favouring Russia, having been developed in earlier negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

The plan would have imposed limits on the size of Ukraine's military, blocked Ukraine from joining NATO and required it to hold elections in 100 days. It also initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire eastern region of the Donbas to Russia.

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It isn't clear what changes have been made so far, but US secretary of state Marco Rubio has reassured Ukraine over the plans.

"This is not just about ending a war. This is about ending a war in a way that creates a mechanism and a way forward that will allow them to be independent and sovereign, never have another war again, and create tremendous prosperity for its people," he said.

"Not just rebuild the country, but to enter an era of extraordinary economic progress."

He added: "This is not just about peace deals. It's about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent and prosperous. We expect to make even more progress today."

Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's security council, responded by saying the US was "hearing", "supporting" and "working beside" Ukraine.

Mr Zelenskyy's team in the US was without his former chief of staff and lead negotiator, Andrii Yermak, as he quit on Friday after officials raided his home amid a corruption scandal.

After the meeting, Mr Rubio said the talks had been "productive", but more work remained to be done.

On X, Mr Zelenskyy said: "I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump's team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war. We will continue working. I look forward to receiving a full report from our team during a personal meeting."

Later this week, Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Moscow to continue talks with the Kremlin.

Sustained Russian aerial assaults over the weekend

While peace talks ensued, Russian forces launched overnight attacks in and around Kyiv over the weekend, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more.

Impacts were also reported in the regions of Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy and Kherson.

Mr Zelenskyy said: "Such attacks occur daily. This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine's resilience every day."

The attacks also hit Ukrainian energy facilities and left hundreds of thousands without power in the capital. Supplies have since been restored.

Targeting such infrastructure has become a familiar tactic from Russia over the winter, in what Ukraine officials say is the "weaponising" of the cold.

Ukraine launched its own drones at two of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" oil tankers in the Black Sea on Friday, and claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal on Saturday near the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

The terminal is owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which includes Russian, Kazakh and US shareholders.

Subsequently, on Sunday, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said it viewed Ukraine's attack as "an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine", adding it expected Ukraine to "take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future".

Ukraine's foreign ministry said the country's actions were not directed against Kazakhstan or third parties and were only aimed at repelling what it called "full-scale Russian aggression".

Three children and a 21-year-old died in Saturday's shooting at a banquet hall, with 11 more injured.

"We all know that there are people out there [who] are violent and commit violent crimes," said Patrick Withrow, sheriff of San Joaquin County.

"But these animals walked in and shot children at a children's birthday party."

Officers were called to the banquet hall in Stockton just before 6pm local time (2am UK time).

Around 100-150 people had gathered to celebrate a child's birthday.

The sheriff told reporters he had been at a Thanksgiving celebration in Oregon during the incident but "put down my grandbabies to come hunt down these animals who took somebody else's babies away from them".

He appealed for the public to send in "any little bit" of information that could lead to the arrest of the gunmen.

"If you know anything about this, you have to come forward and tell us what you know."

There is currently nobody in custody over the incident.

Although the investigation is still under way, Sheriff Withrow said there appeared to have been "multiple shooters" who began the attack indoors and then moved outside.

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The shooting was "not a random act", he said. "They walked into this area and were probably looking for somebody in particular."

He confirmed that guns had been found on the roof of a nearby building but it was too early to say whether they were "related to this crime".

Police have also towed multiple cars in the area, some damaged with bullet holes, in case they can be used as evidence.

"Please continue to give us more information," he said, "and we will follow every single lead."

A vigil was held for the victims on Sunday, according to local media, with the entire local council in attendance.

On Saturday, Stockton mayor Christina Fugazi said that "families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive".

California governor Gavin Newsom's office added that he had been briefed on the "horrific shooting".

Rachel Reeves is facing widespread accusations that in a speech from Downing Street on 4 November in which she laid the groundwork for tax rises, she misled the country and led the public to believe the fiscal situation was worse than it actually was.

Asked directly by Sky's Trevor Phillips if she lied, she said: "Of course I didn't."

Follow the latest updates from Westminster

Ms Reeves said the decision by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to review and downgrade productivity meant the forecast for tax receipts was £16bn lower than expected.

As a result, she said she needed tax rises to create more fiscal headroom (the amount by which government can increase spending or cut taxes without breaking its own fiscal rules) to reassure the financial markets and create stability in the economy.

But the OBR has said it told the chancellor in its forecast on 31 October that there was a £4.2bn budget surplus, rather than a black hole following the productivity downgrade, and Trevor challenged her on why she did not say that to the nation and argue that more headroom was needed.

She replied: "I said in that speech that I wanted to achieve three things in the budget - tackling the cost of living, which is why I took £150 off of energy bills and froze prescription charges and rail fares.

"I wanted to continue to cut NHS waiting lists, which is why I protected NHS spending. And I wanted to bring the debt and the borrowing down, which is one of the reasons why I increased the headroom.

"£4bn of headroom would not have been enough, and it would not give the Bank of England space to continue to cut interest rates."

Ms Reeves also said: "In the context of a downgrade in our productivity, which cost £16bn, I needed to increase taxes, and I was honest and frank about that in the speech that I gave at the beginning of November."

She confirmed that the prime minister was aware of the fiscal forecasts and what she was going to say in her speech on 4 November about the challenges facing the UK economy, saying: "Keir [Starmer] and myself met regularly to discuss the budget and the choices, because these are the choices of this government.

"And I'm really proud of the choices that we made - to cut waiting lists, to cut inflation, and to build up that resilience in our economy."

Tax rises 'not on scale of last year'

Following her budget last year, in which she raised taxes, the chancellor was explicit to Trevor that she would "never need to do that again" or "come back for more".

But Ms Reeves did raise taxes by freezing income tax thresholds until 2031, and implementing a range of smaller tax rises totalling £26bn, so Trevor put to her that what she said last year was not true.

She replied: "The budget this year was not on the scale of the one last year, but as I set out in my speech at the beginning of November, the context for this budget did change and I did have to ask people to contribute more."

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She conceded that it is "true" that she said she wouldn't have to raise taxes, and has now done so, but said it was "for reasons not in my control", pointing to the OBR's decision to conduct a productivity review.

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch hit out at the chancellor's handling of the economy, telling Trevor: "I think the chancellor has been doing a terrible job. She's made a mess of the economy, and [...] she has told lies. This is a woman who, in my view, should be resigning."

'I am choosing children'

Ms Reeves also told Trevor that she is "proud to be the chancellor that lifts half a million kids out of poverty" through her decision to lift the two-child cap on benefits from April, which was brought in by the Conservatives in 2017 and meant parents could only claim universal credit or tax credits for their first two children.

Trevor put to her polling that shows that while 84% of Labour members are in favour of scrapping the cap, just 37% of those who voted Labour in 2024 think it should be scrapped.

And asked if she is choosing party over country, the chancellor replied: "I am choosing children, Trevor. This lifts more than half a million children out of poverty, combined with our changes on free breakfast clubs, extending free school meals, 30 hours [of] free childcare for working parents of pre-school age children.

"You can put up those percentages, but the people I was thinking about were kids who I know in my constituency, who go to school hungry and go to bed in cold and damp homes. And from April next year, those parents will have a bit more support to help their kids."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper told Trevor that her party backs the decision, saying: " First of all, we think it is morally the right thing to do. And secondly, because it saves money for the taxpayer in the longer term, because we know that children growing up in poverty end up costing the taxpayer more because they have worse health outcomes, worse educational outcomes as well."

But she added that they are "deeply concerned" about "this double whammy stealth tax on both households and on high streets".

'We need growth in our economy'

But the Tory leader hit out at the decision, telling Trevor that lifting the two-child benefit cap is "not the way" to lift children out of poverty, and saying that it means the government is "taxing a lot of people who are struggling to pay for those on benefits".

Ms Badenoch said: "About half a million families are going to be getting an uptick of about £5,000. Many other people don't have £5,000 lying around.

"We believe that people on benefits should have to make the same decisions about having children as everybody else. And remember, we're not talking about child benefits here. We're talking about the universal credit element of it. You get child benefit for as many children as you have.

"But at some point, someone needs to draw a line somewhere."

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Ms Badenoch argued that the way to ensure children are not in poverty is to "make sure that their parents have jobs and that those jobs pay well", and said the level of unemployment has increased "every single month" since Labour came to office in July 2024.

"What we need is growth in our economy. Simply taking out from people who are struggling and giving to a different group of people is not making the economy better," she said.

Three people have also died in Malaysia, officials have said, due to the extreme weather in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

In total, Indonesian officials said 442 people had died and Thai authorities reported 170 deaths in the southern part of the country, as of midday UK time on Sunday.

Rescue efforts were ongoing throughout the day, with more than four million people affected - almost three million in Southern Thailand and 1.1 million in Western Indonesia - by the effects of a tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait.

Indonesian relief and rescue teams have used helicopters to deliver aid to people they could not access because of blocked roads on the western island of Sumatra.

Many areas have been cut off, while damage to telecommunications infrastructure has hampered communications.

Officials said on Saturday that they had received reports of people looting supply lines as they grow desperate for relief in other areas.

Hat Yai, the largest city in Thailand's Songkhla province, received 335mm (13 inches) of rain on Friday last week, its highest single-day tally in 300 years.

After days of rain, meteorological authorities in Malaysia lifted tropical storm and continuous rain warnings there yesterday, forecasting clear skies for most of the country.

However, there are still about 18,700 people in evacuation centres, according to the country's national disaster management agency.

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More than 200 dead in Sri Lanka

Across the Bay of Bengal, Sri Lanka's disaster management centre said in a situation report on Sunday that 212 people had died as a result of Cyclone Ditwah.

Another 218 people have been recorded as missing across the South Asian country's 25 districts, and more than half a million people have been affected nationwide.