Australia’s Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over alleged Afghanistan war crimes

Australian media reported that Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, was arrested on Tuesday at Sydney Airport and is expected to appear later in a New South Wales court.

According to SBS News, Roberts-Smith has been charged with five counts of unlawful killing as war crimes, linked to separate incidents that allegedly took place between 2009 and 2012 in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province.

Authorities allege that on April 12, 2009, in the Kakarak area of Uruzgan, Roberts-Smith intentionally caused the death of one Afghan man and separately encouraged, assisted, or was otherwise involved in the killing of another person.

A further allegation relates to September 11, 2012, in Darwan, where prosecutors claim he aided and abetted the intentional killing of another Afghan. Additional charges concern an October 20, 2012 incident in the Siyah Chaw area.

SBS reported that Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator are pursuing the case, with each of the alleged offences carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under Australian law.

Roberts-Smith had previously sued three journalists over reports that exposed alleged war crimes committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, strongly denying all accusations and insisting that the claims were false and defamatory.

However, in a lengthy civil defamation case, Australia’s Federal Court ruled against him, finding that he was responsible for four unlawful killings during his service in Afghanistan under the civil standard of proof.

In later legal efforts, Roberts-Smith challenged that ruling in the appeals court but failed, and his subsequent application for special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia was also rejected.

The arrest marks one of the most significant war crimes developments involving foreign troops in Afghanistan and is likely to renew scrutiny over allegations surrounding the conduct of Australian special forces during the conflict.

The post Australia’s Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over alleged Afghanistan war crimes appeared first on Khaama Press.