Current Events > Investigation finds war crimes and cover up by Aussie military in Afghanistan

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Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed 39 murders in Afghanistan, and 19 current or former soldiers will face possible prosecution and the stripping of their medals after the findings of an exhaustive defence inquiry exposed a culture of cover-ups and deceit.

The Special Air Service Regiment's second squadron will be disbanded following the damning findings of a "warrior-hero" culture that contributed to criminal conduct, including unlawful killings.

Compensation will be paid to Afghan families whose loved ones were likely murdered by special forces soldiers. Most of these murders involved prisoners who had been captured or subdued. Some were allegedly handcuffed and then shot dead.

The majority of the blame has been laid on non-commissioned officers of the SAS who allegedly demanded junior soldiers "blood" themselves by shooting unarmed prisoners, and then planted weapons to cover up these crimes, while falsifying reports about what happened.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have previously reported that one of the key focuses of the inquiry was war hero and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith. The Federal Court heard recently that then Chief of Defence Force, Mark Binskin, referred the former SAS soldier to the police in 2018 and that the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is now considering whether to charge him.

Mr Roberts-Smith, who is now an executive for Channel 7 in Brisbane, denies any wrongdoing, and his boss, media billionaire Kerry Stokes, the chairman of both Seven West Media and the Australian War Memorial, vowed through a spokesman on Thursday to help members of the SAS who were accused of war crimes.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine, The Age and the Herald for stories about his service in Afghanistan and Mr Stokes has loaned him $1.9 million to cover his legal costs thus far. Mr Roberts-Smith has used his Victoria Cross and other medals as collateral, and Mr Stokes' spokesman told The Australian Financial Review he would donate them to the War Memorial if the war hero could not repay the loan.

The alleged murders referred to by the Brereton report date back to 2006 but the majority took place in 2012 and 2013 and were committed by soldiers from the Perth-based SAS.

The four-year inquiry by NSW Supreme Court Of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton found there was "credible information" about 23 incidents during which Australian special forces soldiers were involved in the murder of one or more non-combatants or individuals who had been captured or injured. A further two incidents could be classified as the war crime of "cruel treatment", the report said.

The report said there was evidence that 25 current or former ADF personnel were involved in the serious crimes, either carrying out the offences or at least being "accessories" to the incidents. However, in his report Justice Brereton has issued orders preventing the naming of witnesses or those he will refer to police.

Australian Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell said the inquiry had unearthed a "disgraceful and a profound betrayal" of the Australian military's professional standards. He will now refer 36 matters to the Office of Special Investigator a new body announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to prosecute the alleged war crimes.

Current serving members of the ADF who are now subject to allegations of murder could face immediate action, but Defence will wait for the outcomes of prosecutions before stripping them of their individual medals.

The majority of the blame has been laid on non-commissioned officers of the SAS who allegedly demanded junior soldiers "blood" themselves by shooting unarmed prisoners, and then planted weapons to cover up these crimes, while falsifying reports about what happened.