Australian Special Forces ‘Unlawfully Killed’ 39 In Afghanistan

Australia’s elite special forces “unlawfully killed” 39 Afghan
civilians and prisoners, including summary executions as part of
initiation rituals, according to evidence in a searing military
inquiry now being referred to a special war crimes prosecutor.

A years-long internal investigation into military misconduct was
released Thursday, prompting the Chief of the Australian Defence
Force to admit a “destructive” culture of impunity among special
forces leading to a string of alleged murders and cover-ups
spanning years.

“Some patrols took the law into their own hands, rules
were broken, stories concocted, lies told and
prisoners killed,” General Angus Campbell said,
apologising “sincerely and unreservedly” to the people of
Afghanistan.

“This shameful record includes alleged instances in which new
patrol members were coerced to shoot a prisoner in order to achieve
that soldier’s first kill, in an appalling practice known as
‘blooding’.”

The report also reported evidence that troops were engaged in
“body count competitions”, and covered up unlawful killings by
staging skirmishes, planting weapons and adding names to target
lists retrospectively.

The military’s own inspector general produced the harrowing
465-page official inquiry into events between 2005 and 2016 that
detailed dozens of killings “outside the heat of battle”.

It recommended 19 individuals be referred to Australian Federal
Police, compensation be paid to the families of victims, and the
military makes a slew of reforms.

Campbell went a step further, saying those involved had brought
a “stain” on their regiment, on the armed forces and on Australia,
and would be referred to the office of the special investigator for
war crimes.

He also moved to revoke distinguished service medals awarded to
special operations forces who served in Afghanistan between 2007
and 2013.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, more than 26,000
Australian uniformed personnel were sent to Afghanistan to fight
alongside US and allied forces against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and
other Islamist groups.

Australian combat troops officially left the country in 2013,
but since then a series of often-brutal accounts have emerged about
the conduct of elite special forces units.

They range from reports of troops killing a six-year-old child
in a house raid, to a prisoner being shot dead to save space in a
helicopter.

– ‘Brutal truths’ – Prime Minister Scott Morrison attempted to
cushion the blow of the report, telling Australians last week to
brace for the “honest and brutal truths” contained within the
heavily redacted document, which censors many highly infammatory
details.

Morrison also called his Afghan counterpart Wednesday to
foreshadow “some disturbing allegations” that the government was
taking “very seriously”.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said Morrison had
“expressed his deepest sorrow over the misconduct”.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs labelled the actions
detailed in the report as “unforgivable” but acknowledged its
publication as an “important step towards justice”.

Last week, Morrison announced the appointment of a special
investigator to prosecute the alleged war crimes, a move aimed at
forestalling any prosecution at the International Criminal
Court.

The revelations will “definitely” be used by the Taliban to
restate calls “for foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan”,
Srinjoy Bose, an international relations lecturer at the University
of New South Wales, told AFP.

“I would imagine that the Australian presence in Afghanistan,
for the coming weeks and months, will be afforded greater
protection.”

The revelations are also a serious blow to the prestige of the
country’s military, which is widely revered by Australians.

Its historic campaigns — from Gallipoli in World War I to Kokoda
in Papua during World War II — have played a crucial role in
fostering the country’s identity, independent of colonial power
Britain.

“It speaks to a failure that is bigger and deeper than the
soldiers involved in the atrocities,” said John Blaxland of the
Australian National University, which has close ties to the
security establishment.

“It speaks to an inadequate sense of perspective on what we were
committing our forces to do and the circumstances they would
face.”

Australia’s government had spent years trying to suppress
whistleblower reports of the alleged wrongdoing, with police even
investigating reporters involved in bringing those accounts to
light.

Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/11/19/australian-special-forces-unlawfully-killed-39-in-afghanistan/