The Australian special forces are currently being investigated over rumors that they engaged in unlawful activity in the war in Afghanistan.
Specifically, there are allegations that the military members murdered two children and the accusation adds to a list of growing concerns involving the behavior from members with the organization. Another claim accuses one member of the elite special forces of unlawfully murdering an Afghan businessman. And after he was unjustly killed, that elite special forces member allegedly planted a gun on the body to make it look like it was an act of self-defense.
The allegations are currently being investigated by the New South Wales supreme court.
There are rumors that crimes have been committed for at least a decade; between 2005 and 2016. The Australian military has confirmed that they have already launched a private inquiry into the matter and they are urging anyone who has any information regarding this matter to come forward and help the case.
Those leading the investigation have declared that for anyone who does have information, and who does choose to come forward, that they will be able to protect them and keep their identity confidential.
They've already interviewed a variety of sources, however they are still looking for anyone else who might have information about the military engaging in any wrongdoing. The probe first started last year and was also previously mentioned in a report that was put together by the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC); involving leaked documents allegedly detailing the war crimes.
If these allegations are true, then they certainly raise concerns about the current mental state of those employed with the special forces. They also support the notion of there being extensive cover-up practices going on, in trying to hide these crimes from coming to light. Why does it take 10 years to find out the truth of the matter? If they have engaged in such unlawful behavior then it's clear that those individuals don't possess the judgment and ability to efficiently perform their duties in a lawful manner. By keeping men like this involved with the organization, if they are guilty of such behaviors, it will only add to further abuse, wrongdoing, violence, and death.
This isn't the first time that accusations have been made, dozens of allegations have been made in the past; suggesting that special forces troops are guilty of misconduct.
It isn't just the military either, the navy has also seen recent accusations of wrongdoing. According to a recent report from the royal commission, it's been suggested that navy staff tolerated widespread sexual abuse of child recruits via hazing practices. The staff allegedly knew about what was going on and they decided to look the other way, allowing senior recruits to abuse their juniors. For the few that reported the crime, some had been dishonorably discharged, others allegdly told it was a “rite of passage.”
Rather than allowing this sort of bullying, those in charge should've treated the matter as an incident of grave misconduct. These men and women are not above the law and they need to be reminded of that, we can only hope that the investigation sorts out the truth of the matter and delivers justice.
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Sources:
https://www.rt.com/news/401813-australia-military-afghanistan-probe/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/11/the-fog-of-war-and-the-modern-soldier-violent-elitism-and-a-culture-of-secrecy
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/22/navy-staff-tolerated-widespread-child-sexual-abuse-of-recruits-royal-commission-says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-defence-abuse/australia-inquiry-says-defense-force-failed-to-stop-abuse-idUSKCN1B20SJ
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-27/defence-inquiry-allegations-sas-afghan-killed-gun-planted/8745782