Press release on war crimes by Australian military in Afghanistan

Despite official Canberra’s efforts to shelve or brush over the results of an investigation being conducted by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Afghanistan Inquiry Report into the facts of war crimes committed by the ADF in Afghanistan (known as the Brereton Report), human rights organisations, the press, and activists continue to demand that justice be served and that those responsible be held accountable.

Under the pressure of public opinion, Australia’s Department of Defence sent a request to the military personnel and veterans of the armed forces who were awarded for participating in combat activities in Afghanistan, demanding that they justify, within 28-days, why they should keep their honours and medals. Also, the media have reported that the Australian government is considering compensating the families of Afghan citizens who were killed by the Australian special forces in violation of international humanitarian law.

It is revealing that two years after the Brereton Report was published, its core recommendations actually still remain unfulfilled – although both the previous and the incumbent prime ministers, Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese, respectively, committed to do so. In particular, no criminal proceedings have been initiated against 19 active and former servicemen despite the available evidence of the crimes they committed in Afghanistan. In addition, the decision by Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, to strip honours from Special Operations Task Group personnel who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013 was overturned by Minister for Defence Peter Dutton in 2021.

The bloody trail of Australian war crimes committed in Afghanistan still continues to this day. The unwillingness to resolve this issue is a testimony to the hypocrisy of Australian political circles, who constantly talk about their commitment to today’s “rules-based world order,” protection of human rights and respect for international law – yet who actually pursue a policy of double standards.