To our national detriment, much of the public discussion on war crimes alleged to have been committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan is focusing on secondary, peripheral or irrelevant issues. Some public confusion has resulted …
The Strategist on: "Afghanistan inquiry"
The first half of my adult life was spent as a professional army officer—a Duntroon graduate in the Australian Intelligence Corps. For the second half of my adult life I’ve been a businessman, based in …
How could 39 alleged unlawful killings of Afghan people by members of Australia’s special forces have occurred over years while no officer in command of those soldiers knew about or had reasonable grounds to suspect …
Sir Angus Houston, who as an air chief marshal led the Australian Defence Force from 2005 to 2011, says he’s greatly saddened by evidence that Australian special forces soldiers committed war crimes in Afghanistan. ‘After …
The report on the Afghanistan inquiry conducted by Major General Paul Brereton could not have come to a more devastating judgement: what happened ‘is possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia’s military history’. The report …
Yesterday it was confirmed in the Brereton report that there’s ‘credible information’ to substantiate the unlawful killing of 39 people by Australian special forces personnel in Afghanistan. These shocking allegations led Prime Minister Scott Morrison …
Over decades, successive Australian governments have found it politically convenient to call on special forces units when they needed to send troops into harm’s way. The rationale has been that highly trained members of the …
After a four-year-long investigation into allegation that members of Australian special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan, 25 soldiers stand accused of murdering 39 unarmed Afghan civilians or prisoners and cruelly treating two others. Some …
As Australia comes to grips with accusations that some of its elite soldiers committed war crimes in Afghanistan, a catch cry for certain commentators is that the ‘fog of war’ explains, justifies and possibly excuses …
Justice Paul Brereton’s investigation of war crimes allegedly committed by Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan will confirm within days that atrocities were committed which will deeply shock the nation. That investigation, and others carried …
Army chief Lieutenant General Rick Burr has written to all of Australia’s soldiers to prepare them for the release of a report expected to contain shocking allegations that a small number of troops carried out …
The Australian Army had been focused intensely on rebuilding the cultural and ethical base of its special forces even before shocking allegations emerged that soldiers carried out multiple war crimes in Afghanistan. New South Wales …