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

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Several current and former Australian military commanders have had their medals revoked because Allegations of war crimes during the Afghanistan war, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday.

Major General Paul Brereton recommended in his war crimes inquiry that commanders be held accountable for alleged misconduct by Australian special forces between 2005 and 2016. Brereton found that about 25 soldiers from the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and the Commando Regiment took part in the unlawful killing of 39 Afghans.

“The allegations that are the subject of the Brereton report are arguably the most serious allegations of Australian war crimes in our history,” Marles told Parliament.

Marles wrote to the commanders of those troops, speaking about the medals they had received for their service during the periods when war crimes were allegedly committed. He did not tell Parliament how many he had written, nor did he name their rank, citing privacy concerns.

The chairman of the Australian Special Air Service Association, Martin Hamilton-Smith, condemned the withdrawal of the medals as a betrayal of the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers in Afghanistan.

“The government's decision overlooks the brave leadership of these young officers on the battlefield and relies on unsubstantiated allegations that an unlawful act may have occurred during their tenure somewhere in a remote village that the commanders cannot see or know about,” Hamilton-Smith said in a statement.

Marles later stated that the medals were not revoked because of the officers' misconduct.

“Nobody is claiming they knew what happened, were aware of it or did not act – that is not the issue,” Marles told reporters.

“But the problem is that as a commander of a unit, you often receive the benefits and awards for the achievements of that unit, regardless of whether you were personally on the front lines, and accordingly take responsibility for the unit when mistakes occur,” Marles said. “If we had known what was happening, would we have received the medals?”

Opposition MP Andrew Hastie, who commanded troops in Afghanistan as a captain in the SAS in 2013, said Australian politicians and the military hierarchy must also be held accountable for war crimes.

“I believe our troops have been let down by a lack of moral courage that has run through the entire chain of command all the way to Canberra – including in this House,” Hastie said, referring to the House of Representatives.

Hastie did not receive any decorations for his service in Afghanistan and was therefore not among the officers who were stripped of their medals.

“I want to be clear: Those accused of shedding innocent blood are solely responsible for it. I am not saying this to exonerate or condemn anyone,” Hastie said. “But those in the chain of command who saw the post-operation slides with the casualty numbers and the pictures of the dead had a duty to ask questions.”

No Australian veteran has been convicted of a war crime in Afghanistan. But a whistleblower and former army lawyer, David McBride was convicted in May to nearly six years in prison for leaking classified information to the media that exposed allegations of Australian war crimes.

In 2023 former SAS soldier Oliver Schulz was the first of these veterans to be charged with a war crime. He is accused of shooting a civilian in a wheat field in Uruzgan province in 2012.

Last year, an Australian civil court ruled Most decorated living war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith As an SAS corporal, he probably unlawfully killed four Afghans. No criminal charges have been brought against him.