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Image source,EPA
Angus Campbell, the commander-in-chief of the Australian Defense Forces, said none of these incidents could “be described as taking place in fierce fighting.”
A long-running investigative report shows that there is “reliable evidence” that elite Australian soldiers illegally killed 39 people during the war in Afghanistan.
The investigation into the misconduct of the Australian forces lasted four years. On November 19, the Australian Defense Force (ADF) made its findings public on the 19th.
The Australian Defense Force said police should investigate 19 active or former special forces soldiers for killing “prisoners, farmers or civilians” in 2009-13.
The National Defense Forces claimed that these crimes occurred due to the unrestricted “warrior culture” that exists among some soldiers.
The investigation was led by Judge Paul Brereton and interviewed more than 400 witnesses. The investigation also found the following evidence:
- The young soldiers were told to complete their first murder by shooting the prisoners. This operation is called “indentation”.
- To cover up criminal acts, weapons and other objects were placed near the bodies of Afghans
- There are two other incidents that may constitute “cruel treatment” in war crimes
The Afghan side stated that Australia has assured them that it will work to “ensure judicial justice”.
Image source,fake images
Academic Samantha Crompvoets conducted a preliminary investigation into the incident and told the BBC that these actions were “deliberate, repeated and targeted war crimes,” and said this report made her feel innocent. .
Since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2002, as part of the US-led coalition, Australia has always had troops stationed in Afghanistan. The initial role of these international forces was to train the Afghan army, but then they became increasingly involved in fighting the insurgents.
What did the investigation find?
According to the report, in 23 independent incidents, 25 special forces soldiers have participated in the illegal killing of other people directly or as “supporting actors”.
The report recommends that the Australian Federal Police investigate 36 incidents.
Australian Defense Forces Commander-in-Chief Angus Campbell said none of these incidents could “be described as taking place in fierce fighting.”
He told reporters on the 19th that “no one allegedly happened when the motive of the perpetrator was unclear, confused or misunderstood.”
He stated that there is shocking evidence that some soldiers of the Special Air Service (SAS) “have the law in their own hands.”
“This report notes that this distorted culture has been supported and amplified by some experienced, attractive and influential NCOs and their promoted officers, who are trying to combine military excellence with self-esteem, elitism and rights. Confusing.”
The report noted that it would be a “serious distortion” to attribute these actions to the high-level commander of the defense force, stating that these crimes “originated from … and were buried at the level of the patrol commander.”
Dr. Krompworth stated that these incidents “in some cases involved very influential NCOs.”
“Platoon leaders will encourage or insist that young soldiers execute prisoners to achieve their first death, so this is a bit of a behavior pattern that allows these young soldiers to be baptized or lead them to the team. This it’s very fascinating. People are worried, “he told the BBC.
Since this investigation takes place behind closed doors, almost no details have been reported so far.
How is the reaction of all sectors?
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned last week that the report contained “difficult and difficult news for Australians” about Australian special forces.
“This is because of the environment (within the National Defense Forces), because of the background of the time, because of the rules, the culture and the orders to be indifferent to those facts,” he said. To face this incident you have to see these facts.
The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Morrison had called Ghani to express his “deepest sadness” at the results of the investigation. According to France-Presse, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said the incident mentioned in the report was “unforgivable”, but the publication of the report “is an important step towards judicial justice.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) welcomed the report, but noted that the report has not yet obtained sufficient evidence to warrant criminal prosecution.
They said seeking criminal prosecution and “providing full compensation without delay” is crucial.
“Only through a series of independent investigations will we discover the true extent of this by ignoring the lives of Afghans, normalizing killings and leading to war crimes,” said the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
“This is a reparation, an admission that these crimes have occurred,” Elaine Pearson of Human Rights Watch told the BBC.
Dr. Krompworth said that after her initial report was leaked, she had faced “great resistance” but her report has now been proven correct.
“They have certainly criticized me for being a woman, a civilian and a feminist. They said that I tried to feminize national defense in some way.”
“It’s not that I don’t understand what the battle is like,” he also said, “it’s more obvious that there were problems with some fundamental things at the time.”
Analysis: A sufficient report to make the military, the government, and the public uncomfortable.
BBC Australia CorrespondentShaimaa khalil
The words used by the head of the National Defense Forces are the same as in the investigation itself, which is also part of the story. He first apologized to the Afghans for any wrongdoing and then told the Australians that they had a right to expect the special forces to perform better.
In describing the behavior of some troops and their fighting culture, he used words like shameful, shocking, and poisonous.
And these incidents are not just these alleged executions, but also impunity for these crimes. In fact, according to this report, there is a competitive environment within special forces.
There was an impressive moment in Campbell’s speech: He described how some young soldiers were forced to shoot unarmed civilians and completed their “first death.” This operation is called “bloodshed.” He stated that it is said that in order to make these civilians look like enemies killed in action, they were stationed at the scene with weapons and radios.
The public version of this report has been greatly abridged and we do not know the details of specific events and specific people. But this information is enough to make the Australian military, government and public very uncomfortable reading it.
What will happen next?
Australian Prime Minister Morrison said last week that he would appoint a special investigator and consider filing a lawsuit based on the information in the report.
Australian media reported that police investigations can take years before possible criminal prosecution.
Campbell said a special air services squad has been shut down and that the National Defense Forces have a responsibility to “correct mistakes.”
The Australian government stated that an independent monitoring team will be formed to “provide accountability and transparency” outside the defense forces command system.
As part of ongoing peacekeeping operations with the United States and other allies, Australia’s military operations in Afghanistan maintain around 400 troops.
Have other countries faced similar charges?
Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into allegations of war crimes faced by the United States and others in the conflict in Afghanistan.
The investigation is expected to involve the actions of the Taliban, the Afghan government and the US military.
A 2016 report by the International Criminal Court stated that there is reason to believe that the US military had tortured in several secret places of detention operated by the CIA.
The report also indicated that there is reason to believe that the Afghan government has tortured the prisoners. In addition, the Taliban have committed war crimes such as mass killings of civilians.
In the UK, the High Court is examining whether the UK has not adequately investigated allegations of unlawful killings faced by British special forces.
On the 11th and 19th, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission called on the UK to “carry out an independent public inquiry to examine and investigate allegations of unlawful killings by British special forces.”
The BBC’s “Panorama” program revealed last year that the British side had not carried out a comprehensive investigation into reliable evidence of illegal killings by British special forces.
“The United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries with military forces in Afghanistan (should) respond to these media reports, investigating their troops’ involvement in violence against Afghan noncombatants and their leadership role,” Afghanistan Independence The Human Rights Commission declared in a statement.
