Several current and former Australian military leaders have been stripped of their medals over alleged war crimes during the Afghanistan war, according to Defense Minister Richard Marles. The allegations stem from an investigation by Maj. Gen. Paul Brereton in a period spanning from 2005 and 2016; the probe found that around 25 troops from the Special Air Service Regiment and Commando Regiment participated in the unlawful killings of 39 Afghans. "The allegations which are the subject of the Brereton Report are arguably the most serious allegations of Australian war crimes in our history," Marles reported.
Marles' decision was aimed at holding commanders accountable; he did not specify the number of officers involved or their ranks, invoking privacy concerns. The removal of medals has sparked criticism, with Australian Special Air Service Association chair Martin Hamilton-Smith criticizing it as a betrayal to the soldiers' bravery and sacrifice. Hamilton-Smith argued that the government's decision discounts the leadership of officers based on unproven allegations of misconduct "unseen and unknown" to them in remote areas.
Marles clarified that the revocation of medals was not due to personal wrongdoing by the officers. "No one is ... suggesting they knew what happened, were aware of it or didn't act—that's not the issue," Marles said. "But the issue is that when you command a unit, you will receive often the benefits and the accolades of what that unit does irrespective of whether you've personally been right there in the front line and commensurately, you accept the responsibility of that unit in terms of what failings occur. Had we known what had occurred, would the medals have been granted?" (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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