Several current and former Australian army commanders have been stripped of their medals over allegations of war crimes committed during the war in Afghanistan, it has said Defense Secretary Richard Marles, the Associated Press reported.
Holding commanders to account for alleged wrongdoing by Australian special forces between 2005 and 2016 has been recommended by Major General Paul Brereton in his war crimes inquiry. Brereton found that around 25 commandos from two special forces regiments were involved in the unlawful killings of 39 Afghans.
„The allegations that are the subject of the Brereton report are probably the most serious allegations of Australian war crimes in our history,” Marles told parliament.
Marles wrote to the commanding officers of these soldiers about the medals they received for their service during the periods when war crimes were allegedly committed. He did not specify before the parliament how many of them he wrote to, nor did he indicate their titles, citing reasons for protecting personal information.
The withdrawal of the medals was condemned by Australian Special Forces Association president Martin Hamilton-Smith as a betrayal of the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers in Afghanistan.
„The government's decision ignores the courageous leadership of these young officers on the battlefield based on unproven allegations that somewhere in a remote village, unseen and unknown to these commanders, an illegal act may have taken place on their orders,” it said. Hamilton-Smith in a statement.