At least 10 current members of the elite Special Air Service Regiment implicated in the damning Afghanistan war crimes inquiry have received termination notices from the Defence Department.
Key points:
- The soldiers are suspected to be witnesses to alleged murders carried out by other Special Forces soldiers
- They are members of SAS's now disbanded 2 Squadron and the Regiment's 3 Squadron
- The dismissals come after an inquiry found "credible information" Australian soldiers had committed war crimes while in Afghanistan
The ABC can reveal Defence "initiated administrative action" against serving Special Forces members within days of last week's landmark Brereton war crimes report being made public.
Defence sources have told the ABC the elite soldiers facing expulsion are members of the SAS's now disbanded 2 Squadron as well as the Regiment's 3 Squadron.
The personnel are suspected to have been "accessories" or "witnesses" to alleged murders carried out by other Special Forces soldiers but are not among the 19 personnel who Justice Brereton recommended be referred to Federal Police.
"Defence can confirm it has initiated administrative action against a number of serving Australian Defence Force personnel in accordance with legislation and Defence policy," a spokesperson told the ABC.
"As the Chief of the Defence Force [CDF] said publicly last week, findings by the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry of alleged negligence by individuals in the performance of their duties have been accepted by the CDF, and allegations will be managed through the ADF's administrative and disciplinary processes."
The Brereton report, commissioned by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF), found "credible information" Australian soldiers murdered civilians and prisoners in Afghanistan.
It said 25 current or former ADF personnel were involved in the serious crimes, either carrying out the offences of at least being "accessories" to the incidents.
The Defence Department said those who are subject to administrative action have "a right to respond within a specified time" of "at least 14 days after the individual has received the notice".
It added that "individuals may also apply for an extension to provide a written response".
Defence said due to privacy reasons it would not provide details of the serving members who were facing expulsion, but added that it was "essential that due process is followed, and that no further comment be made until the process is complete".
The findings of last week's report sent shockwaves through the Defence community and exposed a "warrior culture" among Australia's most elite soldiers that involved a "misplaced focus on prestige, status and power".
Justice Brereton's heavily redacted findings gave some details about the alleged crimes committed and spoke to the systemic cultural problems facing the SAS and Commando units.
It included details of a practice known as "blooding", where junior soldiers were often required by their patrol commanders to shoot prisoners to get their first kill.
"Typically, the patrol commander would take a person under control and the junior member … would then be directed to kill the person under control," he said.
Speaking on the day of the report's release, ADF Chief Major General Angus Campbell said all options were on the table when it came to how people accused of the crimes would be dealt with — including stripping them of medals, something many veterans have since expressed anger about.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTExLTI2L2RlZmVuY2UtZGlzbWlzc2luZy1zYXMtc29sZGllcnMtYWNjdXNlZC13YXItY3JpbWVzLWFmZ2hhbmlzdGFuLzEyOTIwOTQ20gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyOTIwOTQ2?oc=5
2020-11-26 05:13:00Z
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