[ABC]
“Hundreds of pages of secret defence force documents leaked to the ABC give an unprecedented insight into the clandestine operations of Australia’s elite special forces in Afghanistan, including incidents of troops killing unarmed men and children.”
“This comes a day after the ABC revealed the alleged cover up of the killing of an Afghan boy and another alleged incident in which a father and son were shot dead during a raid.“
“The documents, many marked AUSTEO — Australian Eyes Only — suggest a growing unease at the highest levels of Defence about the culture of Australia’s special forces as they prosecuted a bloody, secretive war against insurgents across a swathe of southern Afghanistan.”
“A large proportion of the documents are reports on at least 10 incidents between 2009-2013 in which special forces troops shot dead insurgents, but also unarmed men and children.”
“The documents also provide fresh details of some notorious incidents, including the severing of the hands of dead Taliban fighters by Australian troops.”
“The most dense and complex documents are those that seek to codify what tests Australian soldiers have to apply before they shoot to kill.”
“Spotters could be shot for riding a motorcycle in a ‘stop-start’ fashion, talking on a radio or “manoeuvring to gain a tactical advantage”, according to the documents.”
““The necessity of [special forces] to press the tactical advantage of the engagement needs to be weighed against the political disadvantage created by civilian casualty allegations against [Coalition forces] at this stage of the campaign””, an Australian officer said.
Read more: The Afghan Files
Related:
What the documents reveal about killings of unarmed Afghans
An interrogation, a shooting and no witnesses
‘What the f*** are you doing’: Chaos over severed hands
The spy and the SAS soldier with a loaded Glock
‘Unhealthy’ relations between elite teams
2021-week33
