Australia To Withdraw Award Medals From A Number Of Veterans Regarding Alleged War Crimes

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles. (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - The Australian government will withdraw military awards from a group of war veterans over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday.

A four-year investigation chaired by Major General Paul Brereton concluded in 2020 there was reliable information about alleged unlawful killings of 39 people by or involving 25 Australian military members, as part of a culture forcing junior recruits to kill helpless prisoners to "splash their blood" for fighting.

As part of delivering the final recommendation of the investigation, known as the Brereton Report, Defense Minister Marles has written to several officers on duty in Afghanistan, to inform them that medals awarded for service will be withdrawn.

"The allegations that are the subject of the Brereton Report are arguably the most serious accusations of Australian war crimes in our history," Defense Minister Marles told parliament on Thursday.

"This will always be a matter of national shame," he said.

The government has not mentioned the names of veterans who will lose the award or how many will be affected.

Based on the recommendation of the report, 19 Australian military members are currently referred to special investigators to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file lawsuits.

Earlier, a former soldier was charged with war crimes last year.

Australia participated in the NATO-led international forces that trained Afghan security forces and fought the Taliban for two decades after the overthrow of the militant group from power in 2001.

More than 39,000 Kangaroo State soldiers served in Afghanistan. Of that number, 41 were killed.