Sirish N. 17th November 2020
Australian soldier killing a defenseless Afghan (Source: ABC News)
On Thursday, Australia declared another new investigative organization to construct criminal arguments against the Australian special forces associated with war crimes in Afghanistan.
The discoveries of an exceptionally secretive probe into claims of serious misconduct and potential war crimes by Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan were "stunning" and "disturbing," as per a specialist on Australia's military culture. The Inspector-General of the Australian Defense Force (IGADF) has spent over four years exploring allegations against Australian soldiers who defied the war norms in Afghanistan.
The IGADF report has zeroed in on more than fifty separate charges of war violations being submitted by Australian soldiers. It has explicitly not taken a glance at occurrences that could be depicted as having happened in the heat of battle. All in all, the episodes are going to identify with things, for example, the supposed homicide of unarmed civilians or the inhumane and heartless treatment of prisoners, as opposed to individuals being murdered as "collateral damage" in ADF missions.
Executive Scott Morrison said that a special investigator would be set up to manage the IGADF's discoveries a week ago, planning proof for any likely prosecutions. A month ago, the Chief of Army Lieutenant General, Rick Burr wrote to members of the force that charges contained in the IGADF report were "grave and profoundly disturbing."
"They do not reflect who we try to be. We will follow up on the discoveries when they are introduced to the Chief of the Defense Force," he composed, as reported by ABC News.
Major developments to Australia's Special Forces, especially the SASR, are currently being considered by the Army and the Government, following the Brereton inquiry's completion. Defence insiders accept the progressions are pointed toward separating foundational social issues inside the special forces. Simultaneously, as the ADF has conducted its closed-door inquiry, a series of explosive videos about soldiers' conduct has made the extent of the allegations against Australian soldiers very public.
Before this year, the ABC's Four Corners program broadcast a video indicating a Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) officer shooting an unarmed Afghan man multiple times in the chest and head as he cringed on the ground in 2012. Only days after the "genuine and upsetting" disclosures, the SAS part known as 'Officer C' was suspended from obligation, and the Defense Minister alluded to the issue to the AFP Commissioner.
(Sources- ABC News, The Guardian, Business Insider)
Edited by: Chirag Arora, Tanya Jain, Anjali Dinesh