Thu 19 November 2020:
There’s “credible information” that Australian Defense Force troops allegedly unlawfully killed 39 civilians or prisoners in Afghanistan, said ADF chief Gen. Angus Campbell, announcing findings of a long-awaited report Thursday morning local time.
Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell called the allegations “deeply disturbing”.
Australia launched the inquiry in 2016, amid reports from whistle-blowers and in the local media of the alleged killing of unarmed men and children that the government initially tried to suppress.
Detailing the findings, General Angus Campbell, chief of the Defence Force, said the investigation found evidence that members of the Australian special forces had killed prisoners, farmers or other civilians, and offered his unreserved apologies to the people of Afghanistan for any wrongdoing.
The report found there was “credible information” that 39 Afghans were allegedly murdered by Australian special forces in 23 incidents. Two more were cruelly treated.
The report redacts much detail about the individual incidents, but the defence force chief Angus Campbell said none of the alleged killings took place in the heat of the battle. Most are alleged to have occurred while the Afghan victims were detained or under Australian forces’ control. None of the alleged victims were combatants.
The report revealed an alleged practice known as “blooding”, or initiation, of young special forces soldiers. It describes a process in which young special forces soldiers would be instructed by their patrol commander to execute a detainee to gain their first kill. Weapons or radios, known as “throwdowns”, were allegedly placed on the body and a “cover story” was created to mask the crime and deflect any scrutiny. A culture of secrecy and cover-up pervaded the special forces. Campbell called blooding an “appalling practice”.
Some of those allegedly responsible are still serving in the military while others have left the armed forces. The inquiry recommended the 23 incidents, involving 19 individuals, be referred to the police for criminal investigation.
In a letter accompanying the inquiry’s report, James Gaynor, the inspector general of the Australian Defence Force, described the nature and extent of the alleged misconduct as “very confronting”, noting there were additional allegations that members of the Australian military had treated people under their control with cruelty.
The ICRC, which has been present in Afghanistan since 1979, said steadfast adherence to international humanitarian law was “fundamental to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of conflict”.
David Tuck, its head of mission in Australia, said the revelations “should concern us all”.
“Above all else, we cannot lose sight of the lives lost and the families shattered. Our thoughts go to those who feel their loss. The people of Afghanistan have endured decades of war. In these times, we need to remember that we are bound by our shared humanity and dignity, whether Australian or Afghan.”
The report said that it had probably failed to uncover all wrongdoing that had taken place during the years under investigation, and recommended a mechanism be set up to receive and assess any future allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan.
“We embarked on this inquiry in the hope that we would be able to report that the rumours of war crimes were without substance,” the report said, noting that all but two of the team were serving members of the defence forces. “None of us desired the outcome to which we have come. We are all diminished by it.”
A special investigator, who was appointed last week, will now determine whether there is sufficient evidence to move ahead with the prosecutions.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week warned the report would contain “difficult and hard news for Australians”.
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