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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Telegraph (UK): Australian soldiers who flew a Nazi swastika flag over their fighting vehicle in Afghanistan more than a decade ago were “wrong” and punished at the time, Australia’s prime minister said on Thursday, after a picture of the incident emerged. The flag was attached to a military jeep in the photo taken during a patrol in
9News (Australia): The nation’s top military leaders believe there is evidence Australian soldiers might be guilty of committing war crimes in Afghanistan. 9NEWS has confirmed an internal defence inquiry due in October will consider levelling criminal charges against a handful of elite special forces troops. Click here to read more (external link).
MOSCOW, June 9 (Sputnik) – Moscow condemns the reported war crimes committed by Australian servicemen during their mission in Afghanistan, urging the authorities to launch an objective investigation and hold those responsible to account, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a Saturday statement. On Thursday, The Sydney Morning Herald said, citing a confidential defense inquiry,