[ad_1]
More than 330 witnesses were heard and investigations were opened in at least 55 cases. The preliminary result is not just causing horror in Australia. The country’s military has acknowledged alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
The multi-year investigation has provided credible evidence that members of an elite Australian unit killed at least 39 Afghan civilians and non-combatants, the country’s top general, Angus Campbell, said on Thursday.
“On behalf of the Australian Armed Forces, I sincerely and unreservedly apologize to the Afghan people for any wrongdoing,” Campbell said. He came out in favor of prosecuting the alleged soldiers for war crimes.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Australia sent more than 26,000 troops to Afghanistan to fight alongside the US military against Islamist militias such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
There is even talk of killing a child
In 2013, Australia withdrew its troops from the country. Since then, serious charges have been brought against elite Australian soldiers. Among other things, Australian troops were accused of killing a six-year-old boy in a house search.
A week ago, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison appointed a special counsel to prosecute members of the military.
Critics had previously accused the government of suppressing reports from whistleblowers about alleged wrongdoing by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. On occasion, the police had investigated journalists from the ABC television station, who first reported on alleged war crimes in archives in Afghanistan in 2017.
