Australia arrests ex-soldier accused of war crimes in Afghanistan
- The 41-year-old is accused of murder, was expected to be charged with a war crime and could face life in prison if found guilty, police said
- It comes more than two years after an internal investigation found 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners had been unlawfully killed by Australian forces
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A 41-year-old veteran was expected to be charged with a war crime and could face life in prison if found guilty, Australian Federal Police said.
“It will be alleged he murdered an Afghan man while deployed to Afghanistan with the Australian Defence Force,” police said in a statement.
It is the first time such a charge will be faced by a serving or former member of the defence force under Australian law, the police added.
Public broadcaster ABC reported the charges related to the shooting of a man in 2012 in the southern Afghanistan province of Uruzgan.
A 2020 inquiry revealed allegations of summary executions, body count competitions and torture by Australian forces, and recommended police investigate 19 people.
The findings were a watershed moment for Australia, which holds its military in high esteem and had attempted to suppress whistle-blower reports of the alleged wrongdoing.
Australia’s war crimes in Afghanistan show cost of celebrating military
Australian police even investigated reporters involved in bringing the allegations to light.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, more than 26,000 Australian uniformed personnel were sent to Afghanistan to fight alongside US and allied forces against the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups.
The arrest was part of ongoing investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016, police said.
The man is expected to appear before a local court in the state of New South Wales on Monday.
