Australian servicemen stripped of medals of honour after being accused of war crimes in Afghanistan

Published:

Sep 12, 2024 17:01 GMT

At least 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners have been killed by special forces soldiers, according to a report on crimes committed by Australian troops.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles has stripped the medals of honour from less than 10 former or serving officers of his special forces. The move was made on Thursday in response to the findings of the Brereton report on war crimes in Afghanistan, informs Sky News.

“This is the latest step in government action following the Brereton report,” Marles said.

The minister also told the House of Representatives that, due to obligations under the Australian Privacy Act, it was not possible for him to reveal the identity of the soldiers.

• The Brereton Report is a study commissioned by the Australian Government to investigate the possible involvement of the country’s military in war crimes in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

• After four years of investigation, former Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Angus Campbell has presented the report by the ADF Inspector General, Paul Brereton, which found the guilt of elite soldiers of the Australian Special Air Service in 23 incidents, which included covert extrajudicial executions and resulted in the killing of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, as well as the cruel treatment of two others.