Afghanistan, Syria, Sri Lanka.

Today's three stories you should know.

Afghanistan

Troops from Britain’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment killed 54 Afghans in suspicious circumstances from 2010 - 2013, a four-year BBC investigation has found. The news organization uncovered evidence that the special forces unit may have executed detainees and killed unarmed men. It also reported that the former head of special forces did not pass on evidence to a murder inquiry. The British defense ministry said no new evidence had been presented, that the BBC was jumping to “unjustified conclusions” and that the allegations had already been investigated.

More from BBC here.

Syria

The US said today it had killed a top leader of ISIS in Syria in a drone strike. The Pentagon said Maher al-Agal was killed in the north of the country near the border with Turkey as he travelled on a motorcycle, and that another senior ISIS official was also killed. There were no civilian casualties, the military said, but this has not yet been verified by independent sources. ISIS has not confirmed al-Agal’s death.

More from Al Jazeera here.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country onboard a military jet, several media organizations have reported, citing officials. His plane later landed in Male, the capital city of the Maldives, they said. Rajapaksa was believed to be hiding out on a navy ship off the coast of the country after protesters occupied his house, demanding his removal. Sri Lanka has been rocked by persistent demonstrations for weeks now as shortages of food, fuel and medicine brought the country to its knees.

More from the Guardian here.