The United Kingdom Special Forces murdered children and unarmed civilians in their sleep during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans have claimed.

They accused members of the SAS and SBS of executing handcuffed detainees and keeping a “kill count” during tours of the Middle East.

More than 30 veterans who served with or alongside the Special Forces broke their code of silence for the first time to speak to the BBC.

They claimed their colleagues broke international law in war crimes alleged to have taken place over more than a decade, by killing injured enemy fighters at point-blank range and planting weapons on the dead bodies of unarmed civilians.

One veteran, who served with the SAS (Special Air Service) in Afghanistan, told the BBC’s Panorama programme that the killing of detainees became “routine”.