Australian Special Forces Accused Of Murdering 39 Civilians In Afghanistan

A bombshell report has alleged Australian special forces were responsible for killing 39 civilians in Afghanistan.

The 'deeply disturbing' claims add that some ADF personnel also were involved in 'blooding' younger recruits by demanding they murder civilians and place evidence on their bodies to cover up their alleged crime.

Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force JM Gaynor wrote up part of the report and has delivered it to Chief of Defence Force Angus Campbell.

Gaynor said: "The nature and extent of the misconduct allegedly committed by ADF members on operations in Afghanistan is very confronting.

"The Report discloses allegations of 39 unlawful killings by or involving ADF members. The Report also discloses separate allegations that ADF members cruelly treated persons under their control.

"None of these alleged crimes was committed in the heat of the battle. The alleged crimes were non combatants or no longer combatants."

The allegations come off the back of a lengthy investigation into the Australian Defence Force over claims that improper conduct happened in the Middle East.

There were more than 400 people interviewed during the inquiry and more than 25,000 images and 20,000 documents collected.

Part of the report states: "The inquiry has found that there is credible information of 23 incidents of which one of more non-combatants or persons hors-de-combat were unlawfully killed by or at the direction of members of the Special Operations Task Group in circumstances which, if accepted by a jury, would be the war crime of murder, and a further two incidents in which a non-combatant or persons hors-de-combat was mistreated in circumstances which, if so accepted, would be the war crime of cruel treatment.

"Some of these incidents involved a single victim, and some multiple victims."

"Those incidents involved a total of 39 individuals killed, and a further two cruelly treated; and a total of 25 current or former Australian Defence Force personnel who were perpetrators either as principals or accessories, some of them on a single occasion and a few on multiple occasions."

Topics: News, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie