The Australian military has killed civilians illegally in Afghanistan
Sydney … News Time
According to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the Australian military has issued suspension notices to 10 Special Forces personnel following the release of a report on credible evidence of illegal killings in Afghanistan. A separate report released last week found evidence that 19 Australian soldiers had killed 39 unarmed Afghan prisoners and civilians, according to Reuters. The report did not identify any of the 19 soldiers written by a judge appointed by the Inspector General of Defense. 19 current and former soldiers have been sent to face trial. During the operation, ABC said 10 soldiers had been formally notified that they would be fired. The broadcaster did not identify any of the 10 but said they were all witnesses or facilitators and therefore not among the 19 people sent for possible criminal charges. The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ABC said the 10 soldiers would have at least 14 days to respond to the dismissal notice, but did not say whether any of them had legal representation. A top Australian military official apologized to Afghanistan last week after the report was released. The Australian military has sent troops to join US-led forces that joined forces in 2001 to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.
