Australia's elite military killed Afghans at a special forces induction ceremony. This follows from the report of the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Major General of Justice Paul Brereton (Maj Gen Justice Paul Brereton), according to The Canberra Times.
An investigation revealed that Australian contingent personnel from the SAS (Special Airborne Service Regiment) were responsible for killing at least 39 Afghans outside the battlefield. These charges are based on the testimony of 400 witnesses.
It is noted that in the period from 2009 to 2013, the commanders of the patrols ordered the recruits to kill Afghans, so that they would thus be “baptized in blood.” The victims were prisoners of war, peasants and civilians. The Australians managed to hide the wanton killings, as they then managed to imagine the deaths of Afghans in the course of hostilities. It is known that now a trial has begun against 19 people, and one of the SAS battalions will be disbanded.
It is known that under international law, the actions of special forces are regarded as war crimes. At the same time, it is argued that the top leadership of the armed forces did not know anything about the excesses. The leadership of the Ministry of Defense called the revealed facts a shame.
Australia sent its troops to Afghanistan in 2001, and withdrew the last combat units in 2013. In total, 25 thousand Australian soldiers took part in the military campaign. Of these, 40 people died, another 261 were seriously injured. The operation became the longest overseas military campaign in Australian history.
