Australia strips some military commanders of medals over war crimes allegations in Afghanistan

On September 12, 2024, news from Melbourne, Australia. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced that several active and former military commanders have been stripped of their medals due to war crimes allegations during the war in Afghanistan.

Major General Paul Brereton, in a war crimes investigation, recommended that commanders be held accountable for the alleged misconduct of Australian special forces between 2005 and 2016. The investigation found that about 25 Australian Special Air Service Regiment and commando soldiers were involved in the illegal killing of 39 Afghans. Marles said in parliament, "The allegations covered in the Brereton report are the most serious war crimes allegations in Australian history." For privacy reasons, Marles did not specify to parliament the number of people and ranks of those who received the letters.

Martin Hamilton-Smith, president of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment Association, condemned the stripping of medals, considering it a betrayal of the courage and sacrifice of soldiers. Marles explained that the medals were stripped not because these officers had engaged in improper behavior, but because commanders are responsible for the actions of their troops. If they had known the situation at the time, these medals might not have been awarded.

Opposition lawmaker Andrew Hastie, who once commanded troops in Afghanistan, said that Australian political leaders and military top brass should also be held accountable for war crimes. Hastie is not among those being stripped of medals as he was not awarded a medal. He emphasized that those accused of killing innocents should be held solely responsible, but those in the chain of command have an obligation to raise questions about relevant situations.

Currently, no Australian veterans have been convicted of war crimes in Afghanistan, but former army lawyer David McBride was sentenced to nearly six years in prison in May for exposing war crimes allegations. In 2023, former Special Air Service Regiment soldier Oliver Schulz became the first veteran to be charged with war crimes. Last year, a civil court found that Ben Roberts-Smith may have illegally killed four Afghans. He has not yet been criminally charged.