Australia to dismiss at least 10 soldiers over Afghan killings - ABC

 

FILE PHOTO: Members of Australia's special forces conduct an exercise during the Australian International Airshow in Melbourne March 2, 2011. REUTERS/Mick Tsikas/Files

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has issued termination notices to at least 10 special forces soldiers after the release of a report that found credible evidence of unlawful killings in Afghanistan, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said on Thursday.

 

An independent report published last week in redacted form said there was evidence that 39 unarmed Afghan prisoners and civilians were killed by 19 Australian soldiers.

 

None of the 19 soldiers was identified in the report, which was written by a state judge appointed by the inspector-general of defence. The 19 current and former soldiers have been referred for possible prosecution.

 

Amid the immediate fallout, the ABC said 10 soldiers had been formally notified that they would be dismissed.

 

The broadcaster did not identify any of the 10 but said all of them were witnesses or accessories and therefore not among the 19 referred for possible criminal charges.

 

The Department of Defence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

The ABC said the 10 soldiers would have at least 14 days to respond to the termination notices. It did not say if any of them had legal representation.

 

Australia's most senior military official apologised to Afghanistan last week after the release of the report.

 

Australia sent troops to join U.S.-led forces that tried to defeat the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan in the years after the Islamists were forced from power in 2001.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-26

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Slit unarmed teenage kids throats and shot old grandpa in his own home. 

I wonder what the families think of this punishment?

4 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

I wonder what the families think of this punishment?

 

33 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The broadcaster did not identify any of the 10 but said all of them were witnesses or accessories and therefore not among the 19 referred for possible criminal charges.

 

This knee jerk reaction will bite the authorities in the arrse if they're binned without due process; furthermore as commonwealth citizens there's no reason why they can't immediately reapply to join the British Army if they so choose as they're currently unblemished in the legal sense.

5 minutes ago, evadgib said:

This knee jerk reaction

 

I wouldn't call action as a result of a 4 year investigation "knee jerk".

9 minutes ago, evadgib said:

This knee jerk reaction will bite the authorities in the arrse if they're binned without due process; furthermore as commonwealth citizens there's no reason why they can't immediately reapply to join the British Army if they so choose as they're currently unblemished in the legal sense.

I don"t think, under the circumstances, any applications would be accepted.

1 hour ago, Natai Beach said:

Slit unarmed teenage kids throats and shot old grandpa in his own home. 

I wonder what the families think of this punishment?

They were witnesses or accessories to it, they werent the culprits.

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

I wouldn't call action as a result of a 4 year investigation "knee jerk".

Firing anyone without due process is.

3 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Firing anyone without due process is.

4 years of investigation where they could come forward and explain is fair enough. Its the military, not civilian.

7 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Firing anyone without due process is.

Due process is underway - they've been notified - they have a right to respond - then they're out.

 

Never has been an issue with kicking people out the armed forces with a dishonourable discharge.

1 minute ago, Sujo said:

4 years of investigation where they could come forward and explain is fair enough. Its the military, not civilian.

The military regularly come unstuck by employment law although whether this is the case in Oz remains to be seen.

..closing ranks....

 

Its tommy this and tommy that and chuck im out the brute,but hes hero of the country when the guns begin to shoot......rudyard kipling but still topical.

4 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

I don"t think, under the circumstances, any applications would be accepted.

Judging by the amounts of advertising for the armed forces i would beg to differ,had a mate in the 70s had a criminal record,got sectoned thru drugs,was released and joined the army the next week.

Off-topic, troll posts removed.

 

Why dismiss the best, we need these men to save and protect us from HELL.  

51 minutes ago, mike787 said:

Why dismiss the best, we need these men to save and protect us from HELL.  

They didnt dismiss the best. They dismissed those that caused HELL on innocents.

They should be charged with murder.

7 hours ago, evadgib said:

Firing anyone without due process is.

 

Due process is being adhered to; the soldiers have two weeks to show cause why they shouldn't be fired i.e. appeal

19 minutes ago, Sujo said:

They didnt dismiss the best. They dismissed those that caused HELL on innocents.

I agree to disagree.  Freedom is NOT free mate!

1 hour ago, mike787 said:

Why dismiss the best, we need these men to save and protect us from HELL.  

So far as i know Taliban have never launched attacks in Western countries. The mission was to destroy al Qaeda and their sanctuaries in Afghanistan; the mission was only partially successful as Western forces and Afghan allies failed to stop hundreds, if not thousands  of al Qaeda people entering Pakistan. (from memory the owner of the failure was Rumsfeld).  Not removing Taliban in depth was a stuff up by the then US administration due to switching resources and focus to Iraq, thus to years of the ongoing misery of war in Afghanistan.

 

With reference to events surrounding the OP, It has long been established the killing of POWs / innocents only contributes to further conflict and whilst it's hypocritical, propaganda for the enemy.

1 hour ago, mike787 said:

I agree to disagree.  Freedom is NOT free mate!

Murder of innocents is not freedom.

They will be recruited very quickly by security/mercenary contractors who operate in gray area war zones with no legitimacy and ruling...

Fighting against an enemy that has no age limit or gender nor uniform...I stand with the military personnel.

4 minutes ago, wombat said:

Fighting against an enemy that has no age limit or gender nor uniform...I stand with the military personnel.

They werent fighting. They murdered prisoners and innocents. Not everyone is an enemy. Some obviously learnt nothing from similar atrocities in vietnam.

 

If you stand by the military you stand by the whistleblowers and commanders that condemn the behaviour.

2 hours ago, Sujo said:

They didnt dismiss the best. They dismissed those that caused HELL on innocents.

The ten to be dismissed were witnesses/bystanders.

1 minute ago, scorecard said:

The ten to be dismissed were witnesses/bystanders.

The others will be in jail, unfortunately it will take a long time.

It seems Thailand not only country that moves wrong doers to "inactive posts", although Australia does put a time limit on that. Maybe "just" witnesses... but

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

They werent fighting. They murdered prisoners and innocents. Not everyone is an enemy. Some obviously learnt nothing from similar atrocities in vietnam.

 

If you stand by the military you stand by the whistleblowers and commanders that condemn the behaviour.

How would you know? Ever been in an operation where the enemy looks exactly the same as the "friendly" villagers and where the friendly villagers can be your enemy the next week? If you don't want this to happen, don't train them and learn them how to kill and don't send them to do the job YOU don't want to do. "United we Conquer"

32 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

How would you know? Ever been in an operation where the enemy looks exactly the same as the "friendly" villagers and where the friendly villagers can be your enemy the next week? If you don't want this to happen, don't train them and learn them how to kill and don't send them to do the job YOU don't want to do. "United we Conquer"

Because a 4 year investigation said so. Because the top military brass agree. Thats how i know.

 

Those that were witness to it, whistleblowers that were there, top military commanders agree. The investigation referred them for prosecution. The prime minister is on board.

 

But of course you know better.