Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: Former President Hamid Karzai welcomed the Australian government’s special investigation into the war crimes committed by some of their troops in Afghanistan. “The reason behind my strong opposition to military operations, airstrikes and night raids has been this; civilians casualties and the violation of human rights of the Afghan people,” Karzai said in a statement
He added, “In reparation for the losses our people have suffered, I ask the countries involved in the conflict to make ‘effective efforts’ in bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan.
Australian elite forces allegedly killed 39 Afghans civilians and prisoners unlawfully in an environment where “blood lust” and “competition killings” were reportedly a norm, according to a long-awaited official report.
Chief of the Australian Defense Force Gen. Angus Campbell said there had been a “warrior culture” among some members of Australia’s special forces serving in Afghanistan.
One alleged incident, the details of which have been redacted to protect the identities of those involved, is referred to in the document as “possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia’s military history.”
The Australian Defense Force’s (ADF) four-year inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan alleges that some patrol commanders, who were treated as “demigods,” required junior soldiers to shoot prisoners to achieve their first kill, in a process known as “blooding.” The report presents what it says is “credible information” that weapons or handheld radios were then sometimes allegedly placed by a body to make it seem like the person had been killed in action.
