World news – African Union – 25 Australian defense personnel were involved in the « unlawful killing » of 39 Afghan civilians, according to a report

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Chief of Defense General Angus Campbell released the report on Thursday examining the conduct of Australian special forces during the war in Afghanistan. .

Australian Defense Force Chief Angus Campbell offered a « sincere and unreserved » apology to the Afghan people after a long-awaited report on the conduct of Australian Special Forces soldiers found « reliable information » about unlawful killings by some soldiers.

Since 2016, the Australian Defense Forces Inspector General has examined allegations of war crimes committed by Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan.

Over a period of four years, Judge Paul Breriton interviewed more than 400 witnesses and examined tens of thousands of documents.

In the report, which was publicly released Thursday, Judge Breriton disclosed allegations of 39 unlawful killings and two allegations of cruelty that implicated 25 former Defense Force personnel in 23 separate incidents..

A small number of Afghan citizens killed were not taking part in the hostilities, while most were prisoners of war..

The report covered the period from 2005 to 2016, but most of the incidents uncovered occurred between 2009 and 2013.

« None of these incidents resulted from controversial decisions taken under pressure in the midst of the battle, » the report said..

“Cases in which reliable information about a war crime was found are those in which it was or should have been clear that the killed person was a non-combatant.

Judge Breriton also found that there was credible evidence that some soldiers « made an arrest » such as weapons and military equipment to show that the killed person was a legitimate target.

Also, there was evidence that junior soldiers were asked by patrol commanders to shoot a prisoner in a practice known as « blood » to achieve their first killing..

The investigation recommends that the Chief of Defense refer 36 cases to the Australian Federal Police for criminal investigation. These relate to 23 incidents and involve a total of 19 individuals.

When the report was released, General Campbell said he had spoken to his Afghan counterpart to offer his apology.

“To the Afghani people, on behalf of the Australian Defense Forces, I sincerely and unreservedly apologize for any wrongdoing committed by Australian soldiers,” he told reporters in Canberra. .

“Such alleged behavior strongly disrespects the trust that the Afghan people have placed in us, who asked us to help them in their country..

Judge Breriton placed the greatest blame on the patrol commanders, believing that they bear the greatest responsibility for inciting or directing subordinates to commit war crimes.

“At the level of the patrol commander, criminal behavior was envisioned, committed, continued, and hidden, and overwhelmingly at this level the responsibility lies.

The Bretton Report recommended administrative action against some ADF personnel serving on duty when there is credible evidence of misconduct, but not sufficient for a criminal conviction..

Australia also recommended compensation for the families of Afghans who had been unlawfully killed, without awaiting criminal prosecution.

« This will be an important step in rehabilitating Australia’s international reputation, especially with Afghanistan, and this is simply the right thing to do. ».

Likewise, the inquiry recommended that various service medals be withdrawn from certain individuals and groups.

General Campbell said the squadron was « removed from the Army’s orders to fight, » not because it was the only squadron involved, « but because it was at one time one of the squadrons involved in the allegations presented. ».

The report described the allegations as « a shameful and profound betrayal of the professional standards and expectations of the Australian Defense Force. ».

“We proceeded with this investigation in the hope that we would be able to report rumors of war crimes that were unfounded.

« None of us wanted our result. We all dim it.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he received a phone call from Mr. Morrison ahead of the expected release of a report on alleged war crimes.

In a statement, President Ghani said: “The Prime Minister of Australia expressed his deep regret at the misconduct of some Australian forces in Afghanistan and reassured the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan that the investigations and the guarantee of justice. .

In a statement, Mr. Morrison confirmed that he had contacted President Ghani « to anticipate the release of the report today. ».

“The report contained some disturbing allegations, and the Australian government took these allegations very seriously.

“The report will be passed on to the office of the Special Investigator to investigate any criminal allegations. Therefore they will be dealt with in accordance with Australian law.

“President Ghani expressed his appreciation for the direct contact, referred to the many Australians who had served with distinction in Afghanistan and said that he was relying on the Australian justice system to pursue these matters..

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Afghanistan, Australia, War Crimes, Australian Defense Force, Angus Campbell