Australian police to investigate soldiers accused of war crimes in Afghanistan

Alleged incidents include young soldiers being told to get in their 'first kills’ by shooting prisoners, writes Kim Sengupta

Inquiry concluded 25 members of the Special Forces had taken part in unlawful killngs (AFP via Getty Images)

The report into deaths in Afghanistan at the hands of Australian Special Forces took four years of investigation and was long expected to contain highly disturbing allegations of executions and abuse.

The claims include young soldiers being told to get in their “first kills” by shooting prisoners and civilians, or former insurgents, being killed and then weapons planted on them to pretend that they were active Taliban fighters. Up to 39 unarmed civilians are believed to have been killed. 

The inquiry concluded that 25 members of the Special Forces had taken part in unlawful killings either directly or as accessories in 23 incidents. “Typically, the patrol commander would take a person under control and the junior member… would then be directed to kill the person under control,” said the report. “’Throwdowns’ would be placed with the body and a ‘cover story’ was created for the purposes of operational reporting and to deflect scrutiny.”