Category Archives: Australia-Afghanistan Relations

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Australia’s SAS chief admits his forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan, as claims emerge that civilians were killed, including one who was ‘stomped to death’

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The Daily Mail (UK): Australia’s special forces chief has admitted that SAS soldiers did commit war crimes in Afghanistan. Australian Special Operations Commander Major-General Adam Findlay told SAS soldiers at Perth’s Campbell Barracks that ‘there are guys who criminally did something’ and ‘poor leadership’ is to blame. This is the first time a senior officer

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Australian special forces probed for alleged Afghan war crimes

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Al Jazeera: Australia is investigating more than 50 alleged war crimes by the country’s special forces in Afghanistan, including the killing of civilians and prisoners, a military watchdog said on Tuesday. These relate mainly to unlawful killings of “persons who were non-combatants or were no longer combatants”, as well as “cruel treatment” of such persons,

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Australia police raid ABC over report on killing of civilians in Afghanistan

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Press TV June 5, 2019 Police in Australia have raided the headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) over a report that used leaked information to reveal the killing of civilians in Afghanistan by Australian forces. The police raided and searched the public broadcaster’s offices in Sydney on Wednesday, specifically targeting three journalists involved in preparing

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From Afghanistan to the Outback: refugees ditch Australia’s overcrowded cities

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AFP:  Harsh anti-asylum policies have given the country a reputation as inhospitable to non-white immigrants – A Hazara refugee who now calls the Australian outback home, Ali named his new venture the “Afghan Friendship Restaurant”, a tribute to the warm welcome he says he received after moving to the town of Griffith five years ago. The

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Majority of Afghan team refuse to return after Invictus Games in Australia

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1TV: A total of eight athletes and three officials arrived in Sydney on October 18 and were due to depart together on 28th October. However, five athletes and one official didn’t arrive at the city’s airport to fly home with the rest of the team.“One of them actually said when he came and saw the people here

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Australian investigators probing special forces wrongdoing in Afghanistan consult with Canadian military

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Ottawa Citizen: Australia is investigating recent accusations from some special forces troops that a group of rogue soldiers in the Special Air Service Regiment executed an elderly Afghan prisoner and kept a running tally of the number of Afghans they killed. Members of Australian special forces are also alleged to have kept the prosthetic led of

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Why Australia should face civil lawsuits over soldier misdeeds in Afghanistan

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The Conversation: For the past two years, Paul Brereton, a New South Wales Supreme Court judge and Army Reserve major general, has been conducting an investigation into the conduct of members of the SAS in Afghanistan. While the findings are not yet known, leaks from within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have suggested that as many

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How an impoverished Afghanistan built an air force in the middle of a war

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ABC (Australia): “We’ve found the Afghans have been extremely competent at the tactical level, whether that’s flying planes, building bombs or spinning spanners,” [Australian] Squadron Leader Tim White said. “It’s that next level up though, which is what western nations like Australia have had the opportunity to do over a number of years,” he said. He

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Will Australia Provide Justice for Afghanistan War Crimes?

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Human Rights Watch:  The accounts are both shocking and horribly familiar. Soldiers acting as if they were above the law assault and murder civilians in a barbaric competition to outdo each other. New recruits compelled to prove themselves by killing. The victims are not enemies in battle but the elderly, men with disabilities, a farmer

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Most Australians Alarmed by the Reported War Crimes in Afghanistan – Analyst

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Sputnik: It was reported that on the mission in Afghanistan an Australian trooper was pressured by higher-ranking soldiers from the Special Air Service Regiment to kill an unarmed elderly detainee.  Click here to read more (external link). Related ‘Bad Taste Joke’: Analyst Explains Improper Demeanor of Aussies in Afghanistan