By Phil Mercer VOA News September 12, 2024 Australia has stripped military honors from senior defense commanders over alleged war crimes committed under their watch during the long conflict in Afghanistan. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles on Thursday told the Federal Parliament senior military officers who served in Afghanistan would lose their distinguished service medals. The
Ariana: A group of UN experts on Wednesday called on Australia to immediately fulfil its commitment to compensate the families of 39 murdered victims of war crimes committed by the Australian military in Afghanistan. In 2020, a military inquiry found that Australian soldiers killed 39 unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan, when deployed in the NATO-led mission.
Ariana: Over the past 20 years, more than 39,000 Australian soldiers served in Afghanistan. As part of peacekeeping efforts alongside the United States and other allies, 400 Australian soldiers were deployed until their withdrawal in 2021. During that time, an investigation revealed that Australian soldiers committed war crimes, including the murder and abuse of numerous
Khaama: The Guardian reported that David McBride, a former Australian army lawyer, has been sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for leaking “classified documents” related to the Afghan war. On Tuesday, May 13, The Guardian announced the conviction of the former lawyer, stating that he shared the classified documents with journalists after
Khaama: Johnny Mercer, the former Minister for Veterans Affairs in the UK government, who had previously acknowledged war crimes committed by soldiers of this country in Afghanistan, has been given a ten-day deadline to substantiate this claim. He will face imprisonment if he fails to provide the necessary names and information to the investigation team
8am: According to local sources, on Monday, March 25, the Taliban executed a raid in Qala-e Amir Mohammad Khan, located within the fifth security district of Ghazni city. The target of their incursion was purportedly a former member of the People’s Uprising Forces from Jaghori district. In the wake of this assault, which occurred two
The Guardian (UK): The Afghanistan inquiry is getting into gear at the Royal Courts of Justice. Led by the judge Charles Haddon-Cave, this public inquiry was convened to investigate about 80 killings allegedly committed by the SAS in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. Proceedings took a dramatic turn last month when the minister for veterans’
The Spectator (UK): The SAS blocked UK visas for Afghan special forces soldiers, perhaps fearing that they would be able to produce evidence incriminating the SAS in the shooting of unarmed civilians. That was the striking implication of a BBC Panorama investigation this week – with the Ministry of Defence confirming that it is undertaking
The Independent (UK): A minister repeatedly raised concerns about potential war crimes committed by UK special forces in Afghanistan with senior figures within the Ministry of Defence – telling Ben Wallace “something stinks” – and was unable to disprove an alleged cover-up of killings when he investigated. Veterans minister Johnny Mercer was speaking to an
8am: Former military personnel, under the rule of the Taliban regime, find themselves caught between the vengeful acts of this group and severe poverty. Some former security forces members state that the looming threat of death, extrajudicial courts, detainment, and torture by the Taliban shadows them, exacerbating hunger and Unemployment, further complicating their livelihoods. Many