QResear.ch

#21582732 at 2024-09-13 13:37:58 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #37: EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE Edition

>>21575759
Peter Dutton goes into battle for Diggers

BEN PACKHAM - 13 September 2024

Peter Dutton has accused the government of throwing lower-ranked officers "under the bus" amid an escalating political brawl over Labor's decision to shield senior commanders from the fallout from the Brereton war crimes inquiry.

Richard Marles stripped distinguished service medals from up to nine mid-ranking officers this week for dozens of war crimes by troops under their command in Afghanistan, while allowing top commanders, ?including former defence chief Angus Campbell, to keep their leadership awards.

Amid a growing backlash, the Opposition Leader suggested the penalty should have ?extended to the top of the chain of command. "Why is it OK to throw lower-ranked Diggers under the bus, but those who are higher up the chain avoid any scrutiny?" the former defence minister told the Today Show.

"And the Chief of the Army, the Chief of the Defence Force and people in between those ranks ... why is there no accountability there? I think that's why the average Digger is asking a lot of questions."

The Defence Minister hit back, accusing Mr Dutton of failing to hold any commanders to account for the crimes identified in the Brereton report, which the Coalition received 18 months before Labor was returned to office.

"When he was the defence minister, he actively suspended making a decision in relation to command accountability," Mr Marles said. "Difficult decisions require leadership. That's what I've done as the Minister for ?Defence so that we can close out the Brereton report."

Mr Marles said the government had followed to the report's findings "to the letter".

Greens defence spokesman David Shoebridge said Mr Marles had let the army's most senior commanders off the hook.

"Of course, it's a disgrace that the former CDF wrote his own report, which recommended he keep his medal, and then ?Defence Minister Marles left him with his medal," he said.

Senator Shoebridge said Mr Dutton had "an absolute hide" arguing higher commanders should be accountable for the crimes, claiming incorrectly that "most of these war crimes" ?occurred under the Coalition.

According to the Brereton report, most of the crimes were committed between 2007 and 2013, when Labor was in power.

Earlier, Liberal backbencher Keith Wolahan, a former commando officer in Afghanistan, said "accountability starts at the top". "We are not talking about whether Angus Campbell or others are directly responsible for this," he said. "We are saying ... 'Should you wear a medal that says you had distinguished command and leadership, even if things happened that you didn't know about?' I think there is an obvious answer to that."

In his report for the Inspector General of the ADF, Paul Brereton said he had uncovered credible information that 25 SAS personnel unlawfully killed 39 ?Afghan civilians and prisoners.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/peter-dutton-goes-into-battle-for-diggers/news-story/79509e10e2e13d33eafd34a174225873

#21575765 at 2024-09-12 09:17:38 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #37: EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE Edition

>>21575759

2/2

Marles' decision does not affect Campbell, who offered to return a Distinguished Service Cross awarded to him for his stewardship as commander of Middle East Operations but was knocked back by the Morrison government.

Martin Hamilton-Smith, the head of the Australian SAS Association, reacted angrily, saying: "This appears to be the first time in the history of ANZAC that an Australian government has so betrayed the courage and sacrifice of the men they sent to fight and die in our country's name."

Accusing Marles of "spitting at the feet of our Australian veterans", he said, "The message this sends is disgraceful."

RSL Australia president Greg Melick said the organisation firmly believed that no medals should be taken away until all investigations and potential trials had been completed.

"The RSL is aware of the significant strain this matter has placed on veterans, even those not involved in alleged incidents," he said.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie, who served in the army for more than a decade, accused the government of "throwing our Diggers under the bus", telling Sky News that more senior Defence figures should be held accountable for any alleged wrongdoing in Afghanistan.

Lambie questioned why Marles had made the decision in the same week as tabling the final report from the royal commission into veteran suicide, saying she was concerned it could exacerbate veterans' mental health issues.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told 2GB that Marles had "abrogated responsibility here by letting this cloud hang for so long", but did not say whether he supported the decision.

He said he was glad Marles had stuck by his 2021 decision not to strip 3000 members of the Special Operations Task Group of their meritorious unit citations.

In his 2020 report, former NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton said that "it is difficult to see how any commander at the Special Operations Task Group, Squadron or Troop level, under whose command (or 'on whose watch') any substantiated incident referred to in this Report occurred, could in good conscience retain a distinguished service award in respect of that command".

The Distinguished Service Medal, introduced in 1991, is awarded for exceptional leadership in warlike operations. It entitles recipients to a nickel-silver medal with their details engraved upon it.

The government moved on another key recommendation of the Brereton inquiry in July by establishing a compensation scheme for the relatives of victims of alleged war crimes by Australian troops.

The Office of the Special Investigator, responsible for pursuing possible criminal charges arising from the Brereton report, is continuing its work.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/national-shame-richard-marles-strips-medals-from-afghanistan-war-commanders-20240911-p5k9te.html

#19188895 at 2023-07-16 09:33:52 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #31: MAGIC SWORD - IN THE FACE OF EVIL Edition

#30 - Part 40
Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry and Ben Roberts-Smith Defamation Trial - Part 4
>>19037124 Video: Jacqui Lambie wants International Criminal Court to investigate military commanders for alleged war crimes - Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague investigate senior Australian Defence Force (ADF) commanders over their knowledge of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Senator Lambie has been scathing in her assessment of Major General Paul Brereton's landmark inquiry into allegations of serious misconduct by Australian special forces - a redacted version of which was made public in late 2020. She has argued the ADF's high command has avoided scrutiny and accountability over what they knew of unlawful killings and cruel treatment of prisoners, despite recollections from former SAS personnel and testimony in court suggesting rumours were well known by the top brass.
>>19075534 War crimes investigators want access to Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case secret file Federal investigators are poised to access secret files from Ben Roberts-Smith's failed defamation case in a development that indicates prosecutors intend to use previously undisclosed evidence from the trial about the killing of unarmed prisoners in a future war crimes trial. A letter sent by the Australian Government Solicitor on Friday to both sides in the defamation case, seen by The Australian, says the Office of the Special Investigator -- the agency set up to investigate war crimes by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan - requires access to the case's Sensitive Court File. The highly protected Sensitive Court File contains hundreds of classified documents and photographs, the identities of all the Special Air Service witnesses in the case and transcripts of evidence given in closed sessions of the trial, including by Mr Roberts-Smith himself.
>>19104491 OPINION: I exposed war crimes among the SAS. A few weeks ago, my car was repossessed - "When my car was repossessed by debt collectors a few weeks ago, amid wrapping up loose ends after my company went into liquidation, it made me reflect on the life I once led and the one I lead now. For me, it all began on Australia Day 2016. That was the day I submitted a report to army chief General Angus Campbell that would trigger the biggest inquiry into war crimes in Australia's history. When the war crimes allegations emerged, then-defence minister Peter Dutton said he had made it "very clear" to Defence that I should not be awarded further contracts. That he did not want the military to be "distracted by things that have happened in the past". My credibility was questioned repeatedly by Jacqui Lambie and reiterated in the Murdoch press. In a letter I received from the government solicitor's office shortly after publication, I was told my conduct and public statements had "harmed the Commonwealth". The result was that my ongoing work with the government was "terminated for convenience". The implications for me, my family, my business, and my staff were profound. The message had been sent to the department loud and clear that I was now a liability and a risk. No work would follow. Work in the pipeline was stopped indefinitely. I'd told the truth, so they cut me out. After that my business collapsed and my mental health declined amid the endless stream of misogynistic threats through social media. Work from other organisations was not forthcoming. I gather this was because most businesses hire consultants to tell them what they want to hear, not uncover what is really at the heart of their problems." - Samantha Crompvoets, sociologist and expert in organisational culture - theage.com.au
>>19160231 Ben Roberts-Smith appeals major defamation loss - Disgraced soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has launched an appeal of the judgment in his failed defamation action against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, which ruled he is a war criminal, murderer and a bully. On Tuesday Mr Roberts-Smith filed a notice of appeal in the Federal Court. According to the notice, Mr Roberts-Smith is appealing on the grounds that Justice Besanko erred in finding the former soldier ordered executions and murdered Afghans. This includes the finding that he kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff in 2012 and ordered his execution, as well as killing an elderly Afghan in 2009 with a machine gun. Nine managing director of publishing James Chessell said: "We believe the Federal Court's judgment is comprehensive and categorical. The appeal will be opposed. We will always stand up for journalism that is in the public interest."

#16701712 at 2022-07-10 01:20:42 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

#23 and #24 - Part 11
Cardinal George Pell and Vatican Financial Scandal Allegations
>>16580173 Vatican Cardinals Laud US Supreme Court's Dobbs Decision - Cardinals Burke, Pell, Kasper, M?ller and Czerny welcome last week's landmark decision and discuss its implications

#23 and #24 - Part 12
Malka Leifer Extradition and Prosecution
>>16384807 Israeli legislator Yaakov Litzman leaves Knesset after assisting accused Australian pedophile - Ultra-Orthodox former minister indicted for breach of trust and obstruction of justice in Leifer affair when he offered promotions to psychiatrists in exchange for their evaluation that she is unfit to stand trial
>>16424977 Haredi Lawmaker Convicted Under Plea Deal Over Malka Leifer Affair - Former Health Minister Yaakov Litzman pleaded guilty to breach of trust in the sex abuse case of Malka Leifer, but is expected to remain politically active

#23 and #24 - Part 13
Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry and Ben Roberts-Smith Defamation Trial
>>16349807 Missing witness and a change of government: the latest delays in Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation case - Trial held up due to Covid and fall of Kabul now waits for evidence release by new attorney general and reappearance of Person 27
>>16366989 SAS soldier recalled after puzzling evidence in Ben Roberts-Smith case - A witness codenamed Person 27 being recalled to testify in closed court
>>16379348 Senior SAS officer backs Ben Roberts-Smith on a key piece of evidence
>>16384791 Ex-soldier 'couldn't say' whether Roberts-Smith was complicit in murders, court told
>>16403584 Inside SAS raid at centre of Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial: photos - Never-before-seen photos of the moments after a bomb fell on a Taliban compound and a soldier allegedly pilfered a leg from a dead insurgent can now be revealed
>>16434662 Redacted reports, letters to The Hague: secretive investigations coinciding with BRS' defamation lawsuit - With all eyes on Roberts-Smith's defamation case, it's easy to forget a team of war crime investigators are picking through allegations against the SAS and writing letters to The Hague with criminal prosecutions in mind
>>16543835 Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide hears of problems in Defence Abuse Response Taskforce (DART) - Former chair Leonard Roberts-Smith (father of Ben Roberts-Smith) gave his frank assessment of the body as he gave evidence
>>16543859 If we fail to prosecute war crimes, the law is a 'dead letter,' says inquiry judge NSW Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton -
>>16586834 Give time for 'shameful episode' to be investigated - A probe into alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan must be given time to run its course, Defence Minister Richard Marles says

#16655177 at 2022-07-07 08:40:08 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #24: TRUMP CARD COMING Edition

#23 - Part 10
Cardinal George Pell and Vatican Financial Scandal Allegations
>>16580173 Vatican Cardinals Laud US Supreme Court's Dobbs Decision - Cardinals Burke, Pell, Kasper, M?ller and Czerny welcome last week's landmark decision and discuss its implications

#23 - Part 11
Malka Leifer Extradition and Prosecution
>>16384807 Israeli legislator Yaakov Litzman leaves Knesset after assisting accused Australian pedophile - Ultra-Orthodox former minister indicted for breach of trust and obstruction of justice in Leifer affair when he offered promotions to psychiatrists in exchange for their evaluation that she is unfit to stand trial
>>16424977 Haredi Lawmaker Convicted Under Plea Deal Over Malka Leifer Affair - Former Health Minister Yaakov Litzman pleaded guilty to breach of trust in the sex abuse case of Malka Leifer, but is expected to remain politically active

#23 - Part 12
Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry and Ben Roberts-Smith Defamation Trial
>>16349807 Missing witness and a change of government: the latest delays in Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation case - Trial held up due to Covid and fall of Kabul now waits for evidence release by new attorney general and reappearance of Person 27
>>16366989 SAS soldier recalled after puzzling evidence in Ben Roberts-Smith case - A witness codenamed Person 27 being recalled to testify in closed court
>>16379348 Senior SAS officer backs Ben Roberts-Smith on a key piece of evidence
>>16384791 Ex-soldier 'couldn't say' whether Roberts-Smith was complicit in murders, court told
>>16403584 Inside SAS raid at centre of Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial: photos - Never-before-seen photos of the moments after a bomb fell on a Taliban compound and a soldier allegedly pilfered a leg from a dead insurgent can now be revealed
>>16434662 Redacted reports, letters to The Hague: secretive investigations coinciding with BRS' defamation lawsuit - With all eyes on Roberts-Smith's defamation case, it's easy to forget a team of war crime investigators are picking through allegations against the SAS and writing letters to The Hague with criminal prosecutions in mind
>>16543835 Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide hears of problems in Defence Abuse Response Taskforce (DART) - Former chair Leonard Roberts-Smith (father of Ben Roberts-Smith) gave his frank assessment of the body as he gave evidence
>>16543859 If we fail to prosecute war crimes, the law is a 'dead letter,' says inquiry judge NSW Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton -
>>16586834 Give time for 'shameful episode' to be investigated - A probe into alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan must be given time to run its course, Defence Minister Richard Marles says

#16586834 at 2022-07-03 09:44:49 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16434662
Give time for 'shameful episode' to be investigated, Richard Marles says

COURTNEY GOULD - JULY 3, 2022

A probe into alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan must be given time to run its course, Defence Minister Richard Marles has said.

The Office of the Special Investigator is working with federal police to investigate allegations of criminal offences by ADF members in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016.

The acting prime minister said it was important investigators were given time to follow through on evidence unearthed by former NSW judge Paul Brereton.

"It is dealing with a shameful episode in Australia's military history," Mr Marles told Sky News on Sunday.

"It matters in terms of who we are as a nation, who we are as a people, that our country deals with this itself."

Mr Marles refused to put a timeline on when Australians could expect charges to be laid, when asked.

"What I'd commit to is that we will follow this through to its completion in the timeliness that has been set out," he said.

"There is going to be no stepping back in relation to this because it is a fundamentally important process for who we are as a people."

But Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, who served in the special forces, said he wanted the process wrapped up.

"We want to see this resolved," he told Sky News.

"We don't want to see young soldiers who had nothing to do with events in Afghanistan being tarred with the same brush.

"So hopefully this will be wrapped up soon and we can turn the page completely and start a new chapter for our special forces."

The Brereton inquiry found "credible" evidence of war crimes by special forces while serving in Afghanistan, including 39 murders and cruel treatment of two others.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/give-time-for-shameful-episode-to-be-investigated-richard-marles-says/news-story/23bdf92e0c21df8c53ae180d23516591

#16543859 at 2022-06-28 10:00:15 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16543835
If we fail to prosecute war crimes, the law is a 'dead letter,' says inquiry judge

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters - June 18, 2022

1/2

The senior judge who led the biggest and most damning war crimes inquiry in Australian history has said that investigating and prosecuting war crimes is vital to preserve the nation's "reputation and standing".

In a rare public foray, NSW Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton warned in a speech earlier this month that Australian laws prohibiting war crimes "are pointless if they are not enforced, and a law which is not enforced soon becomes a dead letter". He also flagged "the risk that national chauvinism might trump justice according to the international law of armed conflict".

Brereton conducted the long-running military inspector-general's inquiry into war crimes in Afghanistan, which issued its explosive public report in November 2020.

His comments come as the Australian Federal Police's (AFP) parallel war crimes inquiry passed its four-year anniversary this month, having not laid a single charge or absolved any suspect since beginning in June 2018. Since May 2020, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Sarah McNaughton, SC, has been analysing interim briefs of evidence compiled by the police inquiry.

Complicated investigations can take years for police and prosecutors to resolve, either by reaching a decision to prosecute or by concluding there is insufficient evidence to charge. But the four years and counting timeline of the AFP's Afghan war crimes investigation is causing concern among lawyers and supporters of witnesses.

According to sources dealing with police witnesses, some have not heard from the AFP in many months and they are concerned that, as more time passes, memories will fade.

Concern about the AFP's ability to handle the multiple war crimes allegations arising out of the Brereton inquiry led to the creation of a dedicated war crimes agency, the Office of the Special Investigator, in early 2021. While the OSI has launched its own inquiries, the AFP has retained carriage of the probes it began in 2018.

In a lecture at the Military History Society on June 4, Brereton did not mention Afghanistan and spoke only of war crimes case studies dating back decades. But his public comments are significant because his investigation was the catalyst for the police inquiries into multiple Australian soldiers over allegations they executed prisoners in Afghanistan.

The judge's speech was made all the more remarkable by the attendance of another judicial heavyweight, Len Roberts-Smith, a former West Australian Supreme Court judge and the father of Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith. In his role as military inspector-general probing alleged war crimes, Brereton referred Roberts-Smith and two other former soldiers to the Chief of the Defence Force in May 2018, triggering the AFP's ongoing inquiry.

Roberts-Smith jnr has previously publicly attacked the work of the Brereton Inquiry, claiming it was based on rumours rather than evidence.

Len Roberts-Smith, also a former judge advocate general for the Australian Defence Force, sat in the front row of the small auditorium, a few feet from Brereton, during the speech. Earlier this year, Roberts-Smith snr regularly attended the defamation trial launched by his son against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times for implicating him in war crimes allegations.

In June last year, Roberts-Smith snr issued a statement attacking the allegations. "We never expected that our son would be unfairly attacked in this manner after he served his country in Afghanistan with distinction and risked his life," it said.

(continued)

#16434662 at 2022-06-12 10:58:51 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16349807
Redacted reports, letters to The Hague: secretive investigations coinciding with BRS' defamation lawsuit

With all eyes on Roberts-Smith's defamation case, it's easy to forget a team of war crime investigators are picking through allegations against the SAS and writing letters to The Hague with criminal prosecutions in mind.

Perry Duffin - June 12, 2022

1/2

The coming verdict in Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial is unlikely to silence war crime allegations against the SAS - instead it is potentially the first of many public reckonings with Australia's war in Afghanistan.

Now-Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia "must act on the Brereton Report findings and never hide from the truth of our past" as the Morrison Government established a new investigative body and an oversight panel.

Major General Paul Brereton, head of the IGADF, concluded there was credible information that 39 Afghans were murdered by Australian special forces in 23 incidents after interviewing many SAS soldiers.

"None of these alleged crimes was committed during the heat of battle. The alleged victims were non-combatants or no longer combatants," the damning report concluded in November 2020.

The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) works with Australian Federal Police investigators to pick through the evidence that went before Brereton and likely much more.

The Brereton report, with pages after page entirely blacked out, offers no insight into exactly which incidents and soldiers the OSI has in its sights.

As the report made headlines across the world, Nine was quietly finalising its truth defence against Mr Roberts-Smith's lawsuit.

The decision essentially transformed the civil case into a proxy war crime trial but, unlike the IGADF, it would take place largely in public.

For many of the 99 days of evidence that followed the doors to the court were shut in order to protect the closely guarded identities of the SAS witnesses.

A videolink, instead, beamed out images of the multimillion-dollar legal teams, Justice Anthony Besanko or the silver coat of arms on the courtroom wall as soldiers audibly described prisoners shot dead in dusty compounds.

They told the court Afghans were killed as part of exhibition executions or macabre bonding rituals known as "blooding".

Others denied the claims, saying medal envy over Mr Roberts-Smith's Victoria Cross had birthed a jealous conspiracy in the broken squadron.

But the closed-circuit of the case broke in May when one witness, who had testified for Mr Roberts-Smith, was arrested by the AFP hours before he was to leave the country.

(continued)

#16059144 at 2022-04-12 09:02:31 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

Officers escape punishment for SAS soldier 'crimes'

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 11, 2022

1/2

The Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, has shelved any punishment for seven senior army officers who failed to prevent war crimes on their watch in Afghanistan, and has exonerated a further 21, saying they should "learn from their experiences".

The move follows an edict from Defence Minister Peter Dutton that Defence wait for criminal investigations into the findings of the 2020 Brereton report - a process likely to take years - before officers face any consequences for war crimes by soldiers under their command.

The decision, revealed in documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws, means not a single officer has been sacked or demoted for command failures identified in the four-year Brereton inquiry, which found "credible information" that 25 special ?forces soldiers killed 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians.

All are eligible for promotion and can keep distinguished service medals and Orders of Australia earned on deployments marred by war crimes.

Former Special Air Service and 2nd Commando Regiment chiefs and those who held the role of Special Forces Commander Australia have also been exonerated, despite the Brereton report's finding that Australian-based commanders bore a "greater responsibility" than those in Afghanistan for "cultures and attitudes that ?enabled misconduct".

The decision comes despite Defence's move to issue termination notices issued to 17 lower-ranked soldiers following the Brereton report for "alleged failure to meet ADF expectations and values". General Campbell said the fact that alleged crimes ?occurred under officers from troop to task group commander level "concerns me", acknowledging "command accountability is my responsibility".

He said the officers in question were accountable "for what happened under their command", and noted Justice Paul Brereton's finding that there was "insufficient curiosity of tactical commanders in this regard".

But General Campbell said "potential administrative actions" against seven serving and former officers would be suspended until the Office of the Special Investigator concluded its investigation into the alleged crimes identified by Justice Brereton.

"My decision to suspend ?potential administrative action means that these officers will still be able to continue their careers in the army, which may include currently planned or future promotions, posting selections and changes to service category," General Campbell said in a July 2021 instruction to Chief of Army Rick Burr.

Several weeks earlier, Mr Dutton told General Campbell it was his "strong view" that the criminal investigations by the OSI "must take precedence over other disciplinary actions you are considering".

"This suspension is to minimise any risks to OSI investigations and should remain in place only until the OSI has completed its investigations," he said in a June 2021 letter.

(continued)

#15787694 at 2022-03-05 08:41:50 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

>>15787690

2/2

In his evidence before the court last year, Roberts-Smith said the alleged version of events in Darwan could not have happened because "there was no cliff ... there was no kick", and that the slain man was an enemy "spotter" who was discovered hiding in a cornfield carrying a radio, and was lawfully killed within the military's rules of engagement.

Person 18 also gave evidence to the court he had received two letters posted to him at the SAS's barracks in Perth, threatening that he would "go down" for murder if he didn't recant evidence given to a military inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan, led by Justice Paul Brereton.

That inquiry reported in 2020, finding evidence of 39 murders of civilians and prisoners by, or at the instruction of, members of Australian special forces. Twenty-five ADF personnel were reported to be involved.

Person 18 said he received the letters in June 2018, after he had given an initial interview to the inquiry and having been informed he was required for a second interview.

The court has previously heard that the letters said:"You and others have worked together to spread lies and rumours to the media and the inspector general's inquiry. You have one chance to save yourself. You must approach the inquiry and admit that you have colluded with others to spread lies.

"We are very aware of your many murderous actions over many tours in Afghanistan, including specific dates ... just like when you took part in the execution of two persons-under-control at Tizak. You know what you have done and so do we.

"Don't forget this because it will not go away. You will go down, better to take a reprimand than murder charges."

The letters were signed "a friend of the regiment".

The newspapers have alleged during this trial that Roberts-Smith was the author of the letters, claiming Roberts-Smith wore gloves to prepare and print off the documents at the offices of Channel Seven, bought stamps from a number of different shops and instructed a private investigator to address and mail the sealed envelopes he had placed them in.

The court has also heard evidence from Roberts-Smith's ex-wife, Emma Roberts, that she confronted Roberts-Smith over the letters when their contents were publicly reported.

Roberts told the court she asked Roberts-Smith: "What the fuck have you done?"

She also told the court: "He told me he had written the letters, had printed them at the Seven office, had sealed them in the envelopes, addressed them, and had given them to [family friend and occasional employee] John McLeod to post."

McLeod, a former police officer-cum-private investigator, also gave evidence to the court that he was given four envelopes to post by Roberts-Smith during a meeting at a Brisbane Bunnings, and was later sent Person 18's name and PO box address at the barracks. McLeod said he posted two of the envelopes and gave the other two to police.

In his evidence last year, Roberts-Smith denied any involvement in the letters and said the conversation with his wife never occurred.

"That's not true," he told the court.

Person 18 remains in the witness box. The trial, before Justice Anthony Besanko, continues Monday.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/04/sas-senior-command-knew-in-2013-of-allegations-ben-roberts-smith-kicked-detainee-off-cliff-court-hears

#15727122 at 2022-02-26 09:56:01 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

>>15600712
A vigilant Commonwealth keeps watchful eyes on the Roberts-Smith case

Deborah Snow - February 26, 2022

1/2

There's an elephant in the courtroom in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, rarely alluded to in the media coverage.

It's the Commonwealth government, which has been keeping a vigilant eye on proceedings from day one.

It has its own team of two, sometimes three barristers, sitting every day behind the front row reserved for Roberts-Smith's senior counsel and the barristers for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

And every so often, the court is reminded of the elephant's presence, when the quietly spoken lead barrister for the Commonwealth, Kristina Stern, SC, gets to her feet, asking presiding Justice Anthony Besanko to suppress the accidentally mentioned name of a soldier (whose identities are meant to be kept secret), or to steer the evidence away from sensitive national security information.

There's a third topic the Commonwealth has declared off-limits: any question to military witnesses about what they might or might not have told the government's secretive war crimes investigation teams.

Those investigations are being conducted well out of public view, by a little-known body called the Office of the Special Investigator, of which more shortly.

The media outlets have chosen to mount a defence of truth in the case, alleging Roberts-Smith committed or was party to six unlawful killings of Afghan males who were unarmed or "persons under control" (that is, not posing a threat) at the time of their deaths.

Roberts-Smith has strongly denied this, saying the deaths occurred in combat and were lawful under Australian army rules of engagement. Such are the basic dynamics that have led to a defamation case, conducted in a civil court, morphing into what many consider to be a de facto war crimes trial.

It's an unprecedented spectacle, says Dr Melanie O'Brien, an international law specialist from the University of Western Australia.

"This has made news around the world" she tells this masthead. "It's absolutely extraordinary to see this playing out in a defamation trial. Those of us in this field in academia are just watching it with our mouths agape because we just can't believe that so much is being said so openly in this kind of [civil] case."

There are, of course, other dimensions to the Roberts-Smith trial that have nothing to do with the fate of Afghan detainees. There are the accusations of bullying and intimidation against some other SAS soldiers, and Roberts-Smith's alleged striking of his former lover, all of which he has forcefully denied.

Another facet of the case was drawn into the light on Wednesday, as the court heard evidence from private investigator, John McLeod, once a trusted gofer for Roberts-Smith, about envelopes he says the Victoria Cross recipient asked him to post. Unbeknown to McLeod (he says), the envelopes contained threatening letters to at least one other SAS member. Roberts-Smith has denied any knowledge of the missives.

But it's the alleged events in Afghanistan that have generated the most headlines.

Thus far, the court has heard from half-a-dozen soldiers, called as witnesses by the media outlets. There are a dozen more to come. Soldiers giving evidence for Roberts-Smith will start to be heard from mid-March.

There have been vivid descriptions of battles, SAS operating procedures, tactics and feats of endurance, and the laying bare of rivalries and grievances between soldiers.

The federal agencies keeping closest watch are the Defence Department, the Australian Federal Police, the Attorney-General and the new body, the Office of the Special Investigator.

The Office of the Special Investigator had its roots in the report of Justice Paul Brereton, released after a four-and-a-half year inquiry in November 2020 conducted under the auspices of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force.

The Brereton report rocked the country with its conclusion that there was "credible information" of serious war crimes having been committed by up to 25 current or former ADF personnel, though none of the suspects were named.

But because Brereton's findings were the result of an inquiry conducted as part of the military justice system, not a criminal investigation, there was a limit on how they could be used.

Specifically, some information had been compelled from soldiers who were given protection from self-incrimination, meaning portions of it were never going to be admissible in criminal proceedings.

(continued)

#15042210 at 2021-11-20 09:45:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #19 - THE ONLY WAY IS THE MILITARY Edition

War crimes prosecution could be blown up by legal minefield

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters - November 20, 2021

1/2

A three-year federal police investigation into alleged war crimes committed by an Australian special forces soldier in Afghanistan may have been compromised because detectives unwittingly obtained tainted information in what looms as a major blow to police and prosecutors.

The problem relates to the referral to the Australian Federal Police in 2018 of information uncovered by the military Inspector General's war crime inquiry, known as the Brereton inquiry, which finished a year ago.

While police can act on much of the information uncovered by the Brereton inquiry, they are banned from using certain witness transcripts if they are infected by disclosures from soldiers who have since become police targets.

The issue doesn't impact the AFP's highest-profile war crimes inquiry into war hero and ex-SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, and it hadn't affected other war crimes investigations.

But according to four official sources not authorised to comment publicly, it has impacted on aspects of the AFP probe into a former SAS operator, known as soldier Q.

Soldier Q is under investigation over allegations he is implicated in one or more prisoner executions while serving with the SAS in Afghanistan some time between 2006 and 2010. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald are aware of the precise allegations, including the fact that they have been partly corroborated by multiple witnesses, but is withholding them for legal reasons.

The existence of the police investigation into soldier Q has not before been made public, nor has the concern that the inquiries into him may have been inadvertently sullied.

The area of law that governs how police may use Brereton inquiry information is complex, partly because it has not been thoroughly tested before the High Court.

Four official sources who briefed The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald had differing opinions on the damage caused by the AFP's handling of information, with one stating it was fatal to the man's prosecution but another stressing that it could be remedied.

A third source said the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions was being unnecessarily conservative in its damage assessment, given the legal uncertainty and the fact that the criminal brief of evidence about soldier Q was yet to be finalised.

The AFP refused to comment, citing ongoing investigations.

The revelations are sensitive for the AFP given the high-profile nature of its war crimes investigations and concerns in defence and political circles that the agency lacked the legal expertise to investigate the allegations when they were referred to it by the Brereton inquiry in 2018.

But the potential compromise of an aspect of the AFP's work is also significant because it highlights the challenges facing the newly created war crimes agency, the Office of the Special Investigator.

The office was launched in January to investigate the alleged war crimes unearthed by Justice Paul Brereton except those few cases referred to the AFP in 2018. It is the first anniversary of the Brereton inquiry's final report, which last November identified credible information that up to 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians may have been executed by Australian special forces soldiers.

(continued)

#14490465 at 2021-08-30 07:33:05 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #18 - Talisman Sabre: MAGIC SWORD Edition

>>14490463

2/5

'I do apologise'

For four years, Justice Paul Brereton investigated allegations of war crimes and, last November, he released his report. Based on significant evidence from witnesses, including confessions, his report concluded there was "credible information" that up to 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians had been executed unlawfully. Defence force chief Angus Campbell backed the findings in an extraordinary televised press conference and confirmed that 19 serving and former special forces soldiers would be referred to the AFP and a special body set up by the federal government, the Office of the Special Investigator, for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Nine months later, a series of stories has been published apparently designed to undermine these findings. This week, several media outlets released stories whose central thrust was that the defence force's case against 13 accused soldiers had collapsed because it had withdrawn "show cause" notices asking them to explain why they should not be sacked.

Much of this reporting contended that Defence had this month re-deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, an SAS soldier whom Justice Brereton had identified eight months ago as an alleged war criminal.

In The West Australian, Perth's daily newspaper, the headline said: "At least one inquiry-linked SAS soldier accused of Afghan war crimes sent back to Kabul". The story gained traction with the support of Heston Russell, a former commando who has become the go-to veteran for journalists willing to run stories criticising the Brereton inquiry and questioning the war crimes allegations.

Russell fiercely attacked the Brereton inquiry and General Campbell, including on radio station 2GB (owned by Nine Entertainment, the publisher of this masthead).

"People's lives have literally been ruined only for them to receive a letter saying 'no case to answer for'," Russell told 2GB's Ray Hadley, who agreed enthusiastically. Russell demanded General Campbell apologise: "He would send an amazing example through the defence force if he simply stood up and said, 'Hey, I got it wrong'."

Hadley echoed the call, then turned his attention to politicians. On Thursday, Defence Minister Peter Dutton obliged. Invited onto 2GB, he said: "If people have been wrongly accused and they've now been cleared of that, then I do apologise for what they've been through, what their families have been through." Hadley pronounced himself satisfied.

But there was a major problem with this reporting. One of the key allegations was not true. Despite the headlines, Defence had not deployed to Kabul a soldier accused by Justice Brereton of war crimes. Nor has Defence cleared of criminal liability any of the 19 soldiers referred to the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator. All remain under active investigation.

And the 13 "show cause" notice cases are significantly more complex than the reporting has made out.

'Powerful interests'

Beyond Heston Russell, identifying who is pushing misinformation, and their true motive, is difficult. Journalists from some of the outlets who reported that a war crimes accused was in Afghanistan have now privately conceded they got it wrong. One said their newspaper had been directed to run the story even though the crucial "fact" had not been verified.

The notion that war crimes accused might want to undermine allegations that could land them in jail makes sense, but it's less clear why some in the media, other veterans and certain politicians might be willing to give them a platform.

Australian Defence Association chief executive Neil James says vested interests are at play, and "party politics" - the view there is political mileage to be gained by supporting a populist campaign.

"There are powerful interests who don't want to see war crimes pursued," he says.

Soldier X is not alone in having put his hand up to wrongdoing. Justice Brereton describes at least eight such cases, albeit in a highly redacted form.

(continued)

#14404558 at 2021-08-20 08:17:11 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #18 - Talisman Sabre: MAGIC SWORD Edition

EXCLUSIVE: SAS soldiers who faced the sack after extraordinary press conference accusing them of war crimes will FINALLY keep their jobs - and at least one is already back in Kabul saving Aussies from the Taliban

STEPHEN GIBBS - 19 August 2021

1/3

Special forces soldiers who faced the sack following the Brereton inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan have been told they can stay in their jobs.

Thirteen soldiers from the Special Air Service Regiment were sent show cause notices late last year asking why they should not have their employment terminated.

The notices were based solely on supposedly 'credible information' of war crimes contained within the multi-million dollar Brereton report.

All the soldiers were long-serving SAS members - some of them decorated for bravery - and the unproven allegations against them included taking part in unlawful killings.

In another backdown on the response to the Brereton inquiry, those soldiers still in the regiment threatened with termination have now been told no further action will be taken against them.

The move means soldiers recently considered potentially unsuitable for the Australian Defence Force - and according to the Brereton report, possible war criminals - are once again recognised as fit to serve their country.

One of those whose termination was withdrawn is understood to have been deployed this week to help evacuate Australians from Kabul as it falls to the Taliban.

A source close to some of the SAS members who were informed they no longer had to justify their continued employment said the show cause notices had been another 'knee-jerk' response by Defence.

A decision to revoke a unit citation awarded to 3,000 special forces members, including those killed in action, has already been reversed by the federal government.

'The reality is our defence force can't possibly consider these people to be war criminals because otherwise you wouldn't arm them with a weapon and send them back in,' the SAS source said.

The decision comes as questions are being raised about the military hierarchy's handling of Australia's withdrawal of Afghanistan and a royal commission into shockingly high rates of veteran suicides has been announced.

The show cause notices threatened imminent 'administrative action' and were issued in November after the release earlier that month of the Brereton report.

'Usually, once you've been issued with a notice to show cause it doesn't really matter what you say in response, you just get terminated,' the SAS source said.

NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton conducted a four-year inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force.

No one has been charged with any war crimes, prosecutions are unlikely for years and much of the evidence given before Justice Brereton would not be admissible in court.

Retired major Heston Russell, who served in Afghanistan with the 2nd Commando Regiment, has warned former colleagues were struggling with ongoing uncertainty in the wake of the Brereton report.

'Some of the families have been involved with this inquiry since it started four years ago and still haven't had any resolution,' he told Network Seven in February.

More than 500 Afghanistan war veterans have taken their lives and 25 reportedly committed suicide in only two months after the release of the Brereton report.

(continued)

#13929646 at 2021-06-18 08:37:26 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #16 - INFILTRATION NOT INVASION Edition

>>13929643

2/2

The newspapers allege the practice of "blooding" new soldiers - essentially an experienced senior soldier ordering a new subordinate to kill an unarmed person - occurred among Australian SAS soldiers in Afghanistan.

"'Blooding' refers to initiating a person in the practice of killing, or giving them the taste for killing," the newspapers' defence states.

Roberts-Smith has told this trial he never heard the phrase 'blooding the rookie' "until a few years ago when it was being bandied around". He said he had never engaged in, nor seen, the practice.

Hastie was an SAS captain who served in the Australian defence force between 2003 and 2015. He served two tours of Afghanistan, and was trained by Roberts-Smith on an SAS officer's training course in 2010.

One of 21 former and serving SAS soldiers expected to give evidence for the defence in the trial, Hastie has written previously about being troubled by a "warrior culture" within the SAS regiment.

"The warrior ethos I sometimes saw was about power, ego and self-adulation. It worshipped war itself. It was the opposite of the humility that I expected to find at SASR (Special Air Services Regiment)."

Hastie has said he supported the inquiry conducted by Justice Paul Brereton, the inspector general of the ADF, into allegations of war crimes.

"When wrong is done, we must hold ourselves to account," he wrote.

The Guardian has put questions to Hastie but has not received a response.

Roberts-Smith, one of the most decorated soldiers in Australian military history, is suing the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times for defamation over a series of ­reports published in 2018. He alleges the reports are defamatory because they portray him as someone who "broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement" and committed war crimes, including murder.

The 42-year-old has consistently denied the allegations, saying they are "false", "baseless" and "completely without any foundation in truth". The newspapers are defending their reporting as true.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/18/mp-andrew-hastie-set-to-testify-on-allegedly-blooded-rookie-soldier-in-ben-roberts-smith-case

https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/ben-roberts-smith

https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/ben-roberts-smith/Respondents-Witness-List.pdf

#13819270 at 2021-06-03 08:18:53 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #16 - INFILTRATION NOT INVASION Edition

>>13748711
Ben Roberts-Smith 'extremely paranoid and obsessive' over inquiry, courts hears

MAX MADDISON and KIERAN GAIR - JUNE 3, 2021

Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith became ­"extremely paranoid and obsessive" after Nine Entertainment published allegations he had committed war crimes while serving in Afghanistan, a court has heard.

In a Federal Court judgment on Wednesday, judge Anthony Besanko said the war hero's ex-wife, Emma Roberts, asked her former husband to "seek professional help" to address concerns about his alleged "excessive" drinking, anxiety and depression.

Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing Nine newspapers the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age for defamation over a series of reports published in 2018, which he says portrayed him as a murderous war criminal during his time as a Special Air Service soldier in ­Afghanistan in 2009-12.

The decorated veteran has ­denied the allegations, while Nine has indicated it will defend the ­allegations using a truth defence when the matter goes to trial in Sydney on June 7.

The court heard allegations that Ms Roberts, who will give evidence on behalf of Nine, had leaked hundreds of images of soldiers drinking out of a prosthetic leg to the press.

The evidence from Ms Roberts is related to her deposition with the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, as part of a wider military inquiry conducted by Major-General Paul Brereton.

"She states that following the commencement of the Inspector-General's investigation, the applicant became, at times, erratic and suffered from mood swings," the judgment reads.

"According to Ms Roberts, these circumstances coincided with an increased consumption of alcohol by the applicant on a nightly basis when he was in her presence."

"The applicant asked his friend, an ex-army doctor, Dr (Parbodh) Gogna, to prescribe him beta blockers for excessive alcohol usage, anxiety and depression ... Ms Roberts refers to the applicant's behaviour when intoxicated. I need not set out the details."

The judgment details how the pair sought counselling at the Psychology Cafe from October 2017 through till the end of 2018. Nine alleges Mr Robert-Smith's assault of his mistress, who will be ­referred to in the trial as Person 17, took place in March 2018.

While psychiatrist Robi Sonderegger, who the subpoena was directed to, was not their counsellor, he holds the files for Psychology Cafe. Ms Roberts's credibility as a witness is expected to be challenged by her former husband's lawyers, who have previously said they will put to her that she is a liar during cross-examination.

Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers had sought to exclude this evidence being presented, but Justice Besanko dismissed the request, saying the documents were relevant due to their ability to ­address the alleged separation of the couple and Mr Roberts-Smith's affair.

However, he did agree with Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers that the class of documents relating to Dr Gogna's subpoena was "too wide" and extended to "irrelevant medical information".

"There are unlikely to be documents in the medical file which are relevant to Dr Gogna's proposed evidence as to the applicant's character or the identification of him in the articles," he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/ben-robertssmith-extremely-paranoid-and-obsessive-over-inquiry-courts-hears/news-story/58f70edfc8827b6eb1178169d9234281

#13805129 at 2021-06-01 08:34:35 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #16 - INFILTRATION NOT INVASION Edition

>>13748711
Ben Roberts-Smith's old comrade ordered to hand documents to media

Adam Cooper - June 1, 2021

A soldier who is to appear as a witness for Ben Roberts-Smith in a looming defamation trial must hand over documents related to his own involvement in a military inquiry that investigated alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, which are being sued by Mr Roberts-Smith, were granted access to documents about an SAS soldier's involvement in the inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, which probed the conduct of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Mr Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated former SAS soldier, is suing the media outlets over reports he allegedly committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012 and that he allegedly punched the woman with whom he was having an affair in Canberra in 2018.

He denies the allegations and says the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a criminal.

The media will defend the claim using a truth defence at a defamation trial in the Federal Court starting on Monday and set to run up to eight weeks.

Among the allegations against Mr Roberts-Smith, the news outlets have reported he shot and killed an unarmed and detained Afghan man on Easter Sunday in 2009. The outlets allege his conduct that day constituted murder.

One of Mr Roberts-Smith's then-colleagues, a soldier known as Person 35, is to give evidence in the defamation trial about what he saw and knew about that day.

In the countdown to the trial, Justice Wendy Abraham ruled on Tuesday that Person 35 must hand over documents related to his involvement in the inspector-general's inquiry. The documents could include papers advising Person 35 that an adverse finding was found against him by Major-General Paul Brereton, who conducted the inquiry.

Person 35 opposed releasing his files to lawyers for the news outlets and argued they were not in the public interest.

Justice Abraham did not provide reasons for her orders.

The news outlets allege that after Mr Roberts-Smith shot and killed the Afghan man, Australian soldiers took the dead man's prosthetic leg as a souvenir and then used the artificial limb as a drinking vessel. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have published photographs of Mr Roberts-Smith alongside Australian and US soldiers drinking from the prosthetic leg at a party at a coalition military base in southern Afghanistan in 2012.

The case will return to court on Wednesday for a directions hearing. The trial starts in Sydney on Monday, with Mr Roberts-Smith to be the first witness to give evidence.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being/services-support-fighting-fit/need-help-now/all-hours-support-line

https://www.openarms.gov.au

https://www.smh.com.au/national/ben-roberts-smith-s-old-comrade-ordered-to-hand-documents-to-media-20210601-p57wzl.html

#13665040 at 2021-05-15 02:26:47 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

>>13407722
Police probe sealed envelopes, scraps of paper in Ben Roberts-Smith case

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters - May 15, 2021

1/2

A new police taskforce investigating former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has uncovered scraps of paper with the hand-written names and addresses of SAS soldiers, created as part of an alleged plot to threaten witnesses to a war crimes inquiry.

The discovery of the scraps of paper, along with witness testimony alleging that Mr Roberts-Smith was behind the 2018 plot to intimidate witnesses, is the biggest breakthrough yet for the recently launched Australian Federal Police taskforce as it investigates the former soldier for serious criminal offences.

If it was proven that Mr Roberts-Smith had sought to threaten any of his fellow Special Air Service Regiment soldiers to stop them testifying at the Brereton inquiry into alleged war crimes, he could face up to five years in jail.

The former soldier has denied any involvement in the intimidation plot and is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports detailing his alleged involvement in war crimes, bullying and assaulting a woman.

In late April, AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney told a parliamentary estimates committee that the federal police had in late March launched a new "priority" investigation into Mr Roberts-Smith and that the witness intimidation allegations were being treated "seriously".

Mr McCartney refused to provide the committee with further details and the AFP has declined to respond to inquiries, citing ongoing investigations. But multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said the handwritten scraps of paper contained the names of two SAS soldiers who had served with Mr Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan.

Both SAS veterans hold adverse information about the decorated former soldier and both men were ordered to appear before the Brereton inquiry, a major probe into alleged war crimes run between 2016 and 2020 by the military Inspector-General and overseen by senior judge Paul Brereton.

Detectives working on the case have also recovered four envelopes containing threatening anonymous messages warning the two SAS soldiers to cover up damning alleged misconduct in Afghanistan.

Two of the envelopes were sent to one of the witnesses via a post office servicing the elite SAS headquarters in Perth. They were seized by the AFP in June 2018. The remaining envelopes were never sent. They were recovered by police in March 2020.

In 2018, the then chief of the defence force, Mark Binskin, described the sending of the anonymous letters as a disgraceful criminal act aimed at scaring witnesses from testifying before the Brereton inquiry. He said defence had called the AFP in to urgently investigate, although the original police inquiry stalled until the recent discovery of the handwritten notes.

That discovery triggered AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw to launch a new police taskforce. The AFP taskforce is operating in Brisbane and is the third investigating Mr Roberts-Smith.

(continued)

#13424975 at 2021-04-14 18:48:48 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

>>13424966

2/2

The disciplinary action comes after Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell last month told a Senate estimates hearing he had been unaware of the existence of the Fat Lady's Arms at the coalition base in Afghanistan's ­Oruzgan province and any soldier found to have drunk there should face the sack.

The Australian has been made aware of the identity of several ­officers who allegedly frequented the makeshift pub while on deployment in Afghanistan and who have gone on to hold high-level positions within the army.

Defence confirmed it was investigating the lewd exploits carried out by special forces troops at the Fat Lady's Arms but would not detail how many members it had identified as having visited the bar nor what action had been taken against them.

"Defence acknowledges behavioural issues centering on the Fat Lady's Arms in Afghanistan. The Australian Army is inquiring into these issues," a spokeswoman said.

It comes just months after Justice Paul Brereton revealed the findings of his five-year investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops between 2005 and 2016.

The report, released in November, recommended 19 soldiers be investigated by police in connection with alleged murders of 39 prisoners and civilians and alleged cruel treatment of two others. It found "credible information" that 25 serving or former ADF personnel were involved in serious crimes or at least had been ­accessories to them.

It blamed a "warrior culture" within the SASR for creating an environment in which war crimes were allegedly committed and said the existence of the Fat Lady's Arms demonstrated how the regiment's ethical leadership had been compromised.

At least 10 Special Air Service Regiment soldiers have since been issued with termination notices, as Defence scrambles to respond to the damning report.

Justice Brereton did not find any credible information that special forces commanders had any knowledge of or were recklessly indifferent to crimes committed and concealed at patrol commander level, but he said senior officers ultimately bore "moral command responsibility and accountability for what happened under their command".

The photograph of the colonel and revelations that other officers frequented the Fat Lady's Arms have been seized on by furious SASR troops who believe they have been unfairly criticised in the Brereton report for the regiment's "broken" culture.

They said it was proof that senior officers were not only aware of some of the regimental practices condemned in Justice Brereton's findings but had also participated in them.

The images came to light after allegedly being found on USB drives at the home of decorated war hero, Ben Roberts-Smith, a former patrol commander with the SASR's 2 Squadron.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/army-officer-facing-sack-over-debauched-party-in-afghan-bar/news-story/a2eb5c5a9bdfa2b0bafe1fa9e8f8abad

#13407814 at 2021-04-12 07:13:25 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

>>13407722
'I'm going to do everything I can to f-cking destroy them': Secret Ben Roberts-Smith audio revealed

Nick McKenzie, Joel Tozer and Chris Masters - April 11, 2021

1/2

Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has been caught on secretly recorded audio lauding his media mogul boss, Kerry Stokes, for financing his fight to "destroy" those in politics, the media and the SAS who have accused him of war crimes.

In the recordings, which were lawfully made, Mr Roberts-Smith, a senior executive of the Stokes-chaired Seven West Media, reveals his disdain for the business he helps run, his dislike of his fellow Seven executives and his incredulity that he is still running the company's Queensland operations despite being at the centre of a war crimes scandal.

"It's bizarre. Other businesses would have just gone, 'Mate, it's not tenable'. I offered to resign at the start [of the war crimes scandal] and they said, 'Nah'," Mr Roberts-Smith says to an associate in one conversation.

The recordings capture multiple conversations between Mr Roberts-Smith and three other people. The conversations occurred at the time the inquiry of the military Inspector-General, Paul Brereton, was uncovering evidence from SAS whistleblowers that Mr Roberts-Smith was implicated in multiple unlawful executions while serving as an SAS soldier in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. That evidence prompted the Australian Federal Police to launch two ongoing taskforces in June 2018 targeting Mr Roberts-Smith.

The tapes cast fresh light on the extraordinary relationship Mr Stokes has maintained with Mr Roberts-Smith, while revealing the embattled war hero's view that the billionaire is happy to run sections of his media empire at a loss in return for political power. Mr Roberts-Smith says the media is such "a powerful tool" that its owners say, "I'll take that [financial] loss if it means I have political influence … Politicians are scared of guys that own media networks."

Encrypted communications

Mr Roberts-Smith describes how the influence of Mr Stokes, who is also the chairman of the Australian War Memorial, has forced those who supported scrutiny of the accused war criminal to back down.

"They seemed to have smelled blood in the water and thought, 'Oh, Roberts-Smith is going down, we'll f-cking chime in.' I'm talking politicians and all kinds of people," he says.

But after it became known Mr Stokes supported him, these same critics "are like, 'Oh, thanks Kerry, glad you can help Ben out'. What the f-ck is that? You wanted me to go down, you piece of shit."

Mr Roberts-Smith also reveals how he talks to Mr Stokes on "encrypted" phone applications and "intelligence agencies cannot recover it".

"So if I am talking to KMS for example - Kerry - we only talk on Telegram and then delete the messages after … People use them so it can't be intercepted," he says.

There is no suggestion that Mr Stokes uses the applications to avoid interception by Australian authorities, but multiple sources told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that Mr Roberts-Smith has used such applications to avoid interception by the ongoing AFP inquiries.

'I'm indebted to Kerry'

In the recordings, Mr Roberts-Smith makes multiple references to Mr Stokes' support of his fight to contest war crimes allegations and those airing them.

"There's no f-ckng way I'd be able to keep paying what I'm paying for until Kerry got into it. That's why now they're shitting themselves because they realise he's prepared to run his bank down to do it," Mr Roberts-Smith is recorded saying.

"I probably won't leave the fold now … I think I'm indebted a little bit now to Kerry. Bottom line, I'd be f-cked without him … we've certainly had those conversations already."

(continued)

#13407783 at 2021-04-12 07:07:45 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

>>13407722
War hero Ben Roberts-Smith hits back at bombshell report

RHIANNON DOWN - APRIL 12, 2021

Ben Roberts-Smith has accused Nine Entertainment of attempting to intimidate him "into not proceeding" with a defamation suit against the company and its star investigative reporter Nick McKenzie.

Nine's 60 Minutes program on Sunday reported Mr Roberts-Smith, one of the country's most decorated veterans, buried in his backyard evidence of depraved conduct by Special Air Services Regiment soldiers instead of handing it over to war crimes investigators.

The images - first published by The Sydney Morning Herald - show one soldier at the Fat Ladies Arms, a makeshift on-base bar, dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit and others drinking alcohol from a prosthetic leg taken from a Taliban fighter killed by an Australian soldier in 2009.

Other images show senior SAS officers pretending to engage in sex acts with subordinates.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the allegations were "not supported by any evidence filed by Mr McKenzie and Nine in what has been an extensive pre-trial process".

"Mr McKenzie has chosen not to give evidence in support of the allegations he has made against Mr Roberts-Smith repeatedly over the past three years," he said in a statement.

"The allegations aired this evening are baseless.

"These allegations are not supported by any evidence filed by Mr McKenzie and Nine in what has been an extensive pre-trial process.

"These allegations were not put to Mr Roberts-Smith prior to being broadcast on 60 Minutes and published in the Nine newspapers.

"Mr Roberts-Smith denies that he has engaged in any unlawful conduct and he will not be intimidated by Mr McKenzie or Nine into not continuing with the Federal Court proceedings against them."

The images, 60 Minutes reported, were stored on USB drives buried in a garden.

Mr Roberts-Smith is engaged in a high-profile defamation action against Nine Entertainment after the company - then Fairfax Media - published a series of ­stories alleging the Victoria Cross recipient murdered an unarmed Afghan civilian by kicking him off a cliff.

Nine has argued that the allegations are substantially true.

Australian Special Forces soldiers are now accused of murdering 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners and of "blooding" new recruits by forcing them to shoot unarmed detainees.

That was the conclusion of a four-year investigation by NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton that found "credible information" that up to 25 soldiers were involved in - and covered up - alleged war crimes.

In recordings published by 60 Minutes on Sunday, Mr Roberts-Smith appears to praise Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes for financing him and his fight to "destroy" his enemies.

"There's no f..king way I'd be able to keep paying what I'm paying for until Kerry got into it," Mr Roberts-Smith is heard saying in one recording. "That's why now they're shitting themselves because they realise he's prepared to run his bank down to do it.

"I probably won't leave the fold now ... I think I'm indebted a little bit now to Kerry. Bottom line, I'd be fed without him ... we've certainly had those conversations already."

Mr Roberts-Smith was hired by Mr Stokes to run his company's operation in Queensland.

The Australian Federal Police has told Mr Roberts-Smith it has "eyewitness accounts" implicating him in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, Nine's lawyers have told the Federal Court.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/war-hero-buried-proof-of-lewd-conduct/news-story/2e862921224ae510477998d73bbf3cb4

#13407722 at 2021-04-12 06:53:05 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

Buried evidence and threats: How Ben Roberts-Smith tried to cover up his alleged crimes

Australia's most decorated soldier sought to hide shameful images and evidence of war crimes. Now they have been unearthed.

Nick McKenzie, Chris Masters and Joel Tozer - APRIL 11, 2021'

1/4

It's September 2012 inside a coalition military base in Tarin Kowt in southern Afghanistan and an Australian soldier wearing the white gown and pointed hood of the Ku Klux Klan poses for the camera.

His face obscured by the hood, the soldier holds up a noose like those used by the white supremacist group to lynch African-Americans. In another picture, the man stands with a burning cross, staring at the camera as his colleagues cheer around him.

The images, taken at a fancy-dress party in an unauthorised military bar called the Fat Ladies Arms, capture soldiers from the elite Perth-based Special Air Services Regiment a decade into Australia's longest war. They were fighting an insurgency and trying to win hearts and minds in a Muslim country whose inhabitants had already made multiple complaints that some of their number - including that certain friends of the soldier dressed in KKK gear had executed their fathers, brothers and husbands.

A series of images from parties at the makeshift bar hint at one of those suspected killings.

They show soldiers drinking beer from the prosthetic leg of a Taliban fighter killed by an Australian soldier in 2009. Most of the soldiers would have known little about the history of the leg, which they called "Das Boot". But at least one man knew it represented something more sinister, because he had allegedly murdered its former owner outside the laws of combat on Easter Sunday, 2009.

That soldier was allegedly Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated Afghan war veteran and, until recently, a man lauded by politicians as the embodiment of Australia's ideal fighter. Roberts-Smith is pictured, smiling and pumping his fist, in the background as the soldier in the KKK outfit - one of his mates - burns the cross. He is also happily pictured with people drinking from the leg - despite comments to the Federal Court from his lawyer, Bruce McClintock, in 2019 that his client "thought it was disgusting to souvenir a body part".

The images published here, and hundreds more, were in the possession of Roberts-Smith. Among them is one that shows what former defence force chief Chris Barrie has told The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes is credible evidence of the war crime of desecrating a corpse.

They are clear illustrations of what, when he came to investigate Australian military war crimes in Afghanistan, military Inspector-General Paul Brereton described as a culture in which "ethical leadership was compromised by [the] toleration, acceptance and participation in a widespread disregard for behavioural norms". Justice Brereton singled out alcohol consumption at the Fat Ladies Arms as one part of that failure of discipline.

One of the photographs shows a senior commissioned Special Air Services Regiment commanding officer simulating a sex act with a high-ranking soldier using an object taken from a model camel.

The images were stored on a series of USB drives that also contained classified documents and videos. But despite Brereton's order at the start of his probe in 2016 that soldiers hand over all images and files, Roberts-Smith did not do so, according to sources with knowledge of the cache but who have asked to remain anonymous.

Instead, the sources say, Roberts-Smith dug a hole in the backyard of his house in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and buried the USB drives inside a pink plastic children's lunchbox to hide them from both police and military investigations.

Once the Victoria Cross recipient had filled in the hole, he placed a rock on top to mark the spot.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, federal police who are conducting war crimes investigations into the war hero, have since obtained the contents of the USBs.

(continued)

#13241890 at 2021-03-17 08:54:06 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #14 - THE ART OF WAR Edition

>>13241878

2/2

Bruce McClintock, SC, for Mr Roberts-Smith, said on Wednesday his client would oppose the news oulets' application.

Mr Owens said the outlets planned to call as witnesses more serving and former soldiers to support their allegations, and would also call Mr Roberts-Smith's former wife, Emma Roberts-Smith.

"We wish to call her for our case," he said.

"She has sworn an affidavit saying that Mr Roberts-Smith told her to lie about matters centrally relevant in these proceedings."

A friend of Ms Roberts-Smith would also be called as a corroborating witness, Mr Owens said.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have alleged Mr Roberts-Smith punched a woman, Person 17, in the face after they left a function at Canberra's Parliament House in March 2018.

The court heard last year Mr Roberts-Smith asked his wife to lie that they were separated at the time of his affair with Person 17.

Lawyers for seven former or serving soldiers watched Wednesday's hearing and three of them - Persons 5, 11 and 35 - are opposing the release of documents to the media related to their conduct overseas.

The three are to be called as witnesses for Mr Roberts-Smith and are believed to have had adverse findings made against them stemming from the military inquiry into the conduct of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

The four-year inquiry, conducted by NSW Court Of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton, last year found there was credible evidence that Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed up to 39 murders in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. The inquiry recommended 19 current or former soldiers face criminal investigation.

Mr Owens said the media wanted the documents because Persons 5, 11 and 35 were "right at the heart of the allegations we make against Mr Roberts Smith".

Mr Owens alleged Person 5 ordered an Afghan person to be shot in Mr Roberts-Smith's presence, alleged Person 11 was involved in a "joint criminal enterprise" with the Victoria Cross recipient over Mr Jan's death, and alleged Person 35 was "intimately involved" in other crimes.

A lawyer for Persons 5, 11 and 35 will argue against the release of documents before another judge, to ensure any evidence that is ruled inadmissible is kept away from Justice Besanko, who will be the trial judge.

Lawyers for other soldiers could also join that argument.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being/services-support-fighting-fit/need-help-now/all-hours-support-line

https://www.openarms.gov.au

https://www.smh.com.au/national/very-serious-criminal-conduct-ben-roberts-smith-faces-allegations-of-two-more-crimes-20210317-p57bfl.html

#13168726 at 2021-03-08 01:01:46 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #14 - THE ART OF WAR Edition

Officer Brigadier Ian Langford to keep Afghan medal

BEN PACKHAM - MARCH 6, 2021

1/2

Defence has prevented one of its senior officers from handing back a distinguished leadership medal earned as a commander in ­Afghanistan during a period when Australian troops allegedly committed up to 16 war crimes.

Brigadier Ian Langford told superiors soon after the Brereton war crimes report was released that he wanted to hand back his Distinguished Service Cross, but was stopped from doing so ­because there was no formal process to deal with the request.

More than three months later, Defence's response to the inquiry has stalled, shielding senior leaders - even those who want to speak out - from accountability for alleged war crimes on their watch.

An analysis by The Weekend Australian reveals 83 per cent of the war crimes allegations identified as "credible" by judge Paul Brereton occurred under the command of two senior officers - Brigadier Langford and Lieutenant Colonel Jon "Irish" Hawkins.

Brigadier Langford, one of the army's most decorated senior officers and a potential future chief of army, was task group commander in Afghanistan from July 2012 to February 2013.

That rotation, which included the Special Air Service's now-disbanded 2 Squadron and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, was marred by 16 credible allegations of war crimes - the highest of any of Australia's 20 troop rotations in the Afghanistan war. There were nine credible allegations of war crimes during the January-July 2012 ­rotation, commanded by the now-retired Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins. Both men are highly ­respected in Defence circles and received the nation's top medal for military leadership, the Distinguished Service Cross, for their 2012 commands.

Multiple sources close to Brigadier Langford said he was "deeply shocked" as he watched the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell's press conference releasing the Brereton ­report, which found 39 Afghan ­civilians and prisoners were allegedly murdered by up to 25 Australian soldiers.

He has told friends he was ­unaware of the alleged crimes by those under his command, and he approached Defence leaders about a week later saying he wanted to return the DSC.

He was told "a mechanism did not exist for him to do that", and he would have to wait until one was put in place. The direction followed General Campbell's order, which was later overturned by Scott Morrison, for meritorious unit citations to be stripped from about 2000 soldiers.

Brigadier Langford declined to comment when approached by The Weekend Australian.

Defence told The Weekend Australian it was aware of two ADF personnel "who have indicated their intention to voluntarily return their awards".

But a process is yet to be established for awards to be handed back, or stripped against the ­recipient's will.

Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins now runs a specialist security company, Omni Executive Pty Ltd, which won nearly $80m in Defence contracts in just five years, including more than $8m in work that didn't go to competitive tender. The company is a major ­employer of special forces veterans, and conducts highly classified work for Special Operations Command and intelligence agencies including the Australian Signals Directorate.

Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins told The Weekend Australian: "I did not witness any wrongdoings by those in my command.

"Where complaints or allegations were raised directly with me, they were acted on and investigated in line with established protocol, as the Brereton inquiry report identified."

(continued)

#13043453 at 2021-02-25 05:38:20 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #13 - THE WAR IS REAL Edition

Fight erupts over Defence moves to sack special forces whistleblowers

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters - February 25, 2021

1/2

A small number of special forces soldiers who blew the whistle on alleged war crimes at an official inquiry have been issued termination notices against the advice of the military watchdog.

The notices have set up a clash between the military hierarchy and the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, whose most senior war crimes investigator, Justice Paul Brereton, recommended in his recent report that whistleblowers who had done nothing wrong should be promoted while witnesses who had honestly disclosed their own wrongdoing should not necessarily be sacked.

"It is crucial that their careers be seen to prosper," Justice Brereton wrote last November of key witnesses who had engaged in no wrongdoing.

Others who had committed alleged war crimes themselves but had later helped the truth come out by giving truthful testimony to the inquiry, should be given special consideration, he wrote.

As the Defence Force continues to deal with the fallout of the Inspector-General's report, delegates of the Chief of the Army Rick Burr have moved to sack at least three whistleblowers from the Special Air Service Regiment and commandos.

Asked about this process, a Defence spokesperson said: "The fact that some individuals assisted the inquiry is not disputed and regardless of any recommendation the inquiry made, it is ultimately a matter for Defence as to what if any administrative action is taken."

The spokesperson also said that while termination notices had been issued, the responses from soldiers threatened with sacking would be considered before any final decisions were made.

Defence sources in Canberra, who were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed that the office of the Inspector-General had been forced to issue "support" letters to help a small number of soldiers who were issued termination notices.

Multiple Defence sources aware of behind-the-scenes efforts to protect whistleblowers said at least two of the soldiers who were issued termination notices allegedly engaged in war crimes on the orders of more senior soldiers, and in both cases, these alleged crimes would never have been discovered without the disclosures, the sources said.

Some soldiers suspected of repeatedly lying about their own involvement in war crimes have also been issued termination notices, but were given no support from the Inspector-General. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have confirmed this by speaking to more than a dozen serving and former special forces insiders.

In November, General Burr and Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell both publicly praised the role of special forces soldiers who disclosed alleged war crimes to Justice Brereton, who led the Inspector-General's inquiry.

Justice Brereton ultimately found that Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed up to 39 murders and recommended that up to 19 current or former soldiers should face criminal investigation, possible prosecution and be stripped of their medals.

Justice Brereton warned in his November report that "too often … have the careers of whistle-blowers been adversely affected". He urged the Defence Force to promote "cleanskin" whistleblowers - those who had observed or disclosed alleged war crimes but not participated in any alleged summary executions. Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell is yet to act on that recommendation.

(continued)

#12076399 at 2020-12-18 07:45:17 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

#11 - Part 7
Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry - Part 2
>>11706163 War crimes report: Top brass kept in the dark by 'boilerplate' reports
>>11706208 War crimes report: Diggers covered their tracks in the Afghan killing fields
>>11711606 Video: IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry Report - A message from the Chief of Defence Force
>>11712189 Australia's special forces will undergo sweeping changes in blueprint recommended by former ASIO and ASIS spy chief, David Irvine
>>11712363 Arrogance and impunity: Inside the 2012 SAS deployment to Afghanistan
>>11720292 Chief of the Defence Force Apology to the People of Afghanistan - Dari and Pashtu Translations
>>11722807 Systemic and cultural failings to blame for war crimes - Former 2 Cdo Regt Major Heston Russell
>>11723940 Inside the warrior culture that shamed Australia - groundbreaking report has shocked the country and will be carried by a generation of soldiers

>>11724019 Video: Alleged SAS war crimes in Afghanistan are 'disturbing and distressing', Prime Minister Scott Morrison says
>>11734632 How a determined judge, Justice Paul Brereton, cracked the SAS code of silence
>>11746847 Afghan government defends Australia, denounces Taliban as hypocritical after insurgents demand punishment for "savage, degenerate invader" forces
>>11746887 Invader crimes are indelible - Weekly Comment, alemarahenglish.net (Taliban official english website) - November 21, 2020
>>11747021 'How did this happen?': Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Rick Burr insists he was blind to alleged atrocities in Afghanistan
>>11752213 This is 'unprecedented - it's unfathomable' - veterans speak out on nine ADF member suicides in three weeks
>>11760984 Andrew Hastie: My great shame ... but our boys were left in degrading war
>>11761020 ANDREW HASTIE- 'Shamed' by the Brereton report, soldier turned federal MP Andrew Hastie says 'we ignored the true nature of war and sanitised it'

>>11792315 Defence Department starts dismissing SAS soldiers in wake of Afghanistan war crimes inquiry
>>11802881 Video: Chief of Army statement to the media regarding administrative action taken against serving Australian Defence Force personnel
>>11829964 Dozens of high ranking ex-SAS leaders face scrutiny by Defence chief Angus Campbell
>>11838595 Video: Russia accused of 'hypocrisy' after attacking Australia over Afghanistan war crimes report
>>11839108 PM says he will have the final say on whether Afghanistan veterans are stripped of awards
>>11979707 Scott Morrison defiant as UN bans Australia from virtual Climate Action Summit
>>12062029 Former federal court judge Mark Weinberg QC named as special investigator for Afghanistan war crime allegations

#12062029 at 2020-12-17 05:36:19 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11604576
>>11702658
Former federal court judge named as special investigator for Afghanistan war crime allegations

A former Commonwealth director of public prosecutions and federal court judge has been appointed as a special investigator to pursue allegations of war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has announced Mark Weinberg QC, who sits on the Victorian Supreme Court, will take up the role of special investigator to examine the findings of last month's Brereton inquiry into alleged Afghanistan war crimes.

Justice Paul Brereton found there was credible evidence Australian special forces committed up to 39 murders, with 19 current and former soldiers facing criminal prosecutions.

The current Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, Chris Moraitis, will also move to the Office of the Special Investigator to serve as its director-general, while former Queensland Police deputy commissioner Ross Barnett will take up the role of director of investigations.

Mr Dutton said the Office of the Special Investigator would start work on January 4.

"The task for these eminent appointees will be challenging and, as the Prime Minister has noted, difficult for Australia," Mr Dutton said.

"They bring a wealth of experience to the very important work this office will do.

"Their combined wealth of experience will serve the office well in undertaking the significant task ahead."

Mr Moraitis has been secretary of the Attorney-General's department since 2014. He was previously a deputy secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

"Mr Moraitis is a highly regarded public servant with significant experience in complex policy and legal matters," Mr Dutton said.

"He will provide strategic oversight and leadership to the operations of the Office of the Special Investigator."

He said Mr Barnett was "one of the most distinguished officers in the Queensland Police".

"He led the State Crime Command of that service and he has considerable criminal investigative and major case experience," Mr Dutton said.

Last year Justice Weinberg came to national prominence when he offered a dissenting view in the Victorian Court of Appeal's decision to uphold George Pell's historical child abuse convictions.

"Having had regard to the whole of the evidence led at trial, and having deliberated long and hard over this matter, I find myself in the position of having a genuine doubt as to [Pell's] guilt," he wrote.

"My doubt is a doubt which the jury ought also to have had."

The High Court later quashed all convictions against Cardinal Pell.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-16/afghanistan-war-crime-allegation-investigators-appointed/12991386

#11839108 at 2020-11-30 08:55:14 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
PM says he will have the final say on whether Afghanistan veterans are stripped of awards

Scott Morrison has publicly rolled Defence chief Angus Campbell over his decision to revoke meritorious service awards for Afghanistan veterans, declaring the actions of a small number of alleged war criminals "do not reflect on the many thousands of others" who served.

When he released the Brereton war crimes report, General Campbell said he would write to the GG asking him to strip the citations from 3000 special forces veterans to reflect their "collective responsibility" for 39 alleged murders by up to 25 soldiers.

But, amid a public backlash over the edict, the Prime Minister declared on Monday that "no decisions have been made on that".

"And where decisions were to be made on that, that would only be following a further process and that is where that matter rests right now," he said.

Mr Morrison noted Defence's response to the Brereton report was being supervised by a new oversight panel, and suggested he would have the final say on the matter.

"As always governors-general take advice of their prime ministers," he said.

Mr Morrison said the government would ensure the alleged actions of a few "do not define the tremendous service of the great many".

"The processes we have set up will uphold that principle. They will uphold the principle of innocent until proven guilty," he said.

"There will be a fairness in the way that this is addressed, because those are the values that our defence force men and women have fought to uphold."

The government has been under massive pressure over the decision to revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation from all special forces soldiers who served in Afghanistan from 2007-2013, when it is yet to identify any senior officers who share accountability for crimes committed on their watch.

The families of soldiers killed in action have protested the decision, while a petition organised by special forces veterans to overturn the ruling has attracted more than 40,000 signatures.

Senator Jacqui Lambie, a former army corporal, blasted General Campbell on Monday over his "heartbreaking order" in a profanity-laden statement on Monday.

"If General Campbell has not felt the bitch slap from all those millions of Australians out there, he needs to pull his head out of his arse,'' Senator Lambie said.

General Campbell said on November 19 he accepted all 143 recommendations made by NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton in his report for the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force.

"Units live and fight as a team. The report acknowledges, therefore, that there is also a collective responsibility for what is alleged to have happened," the CDF said.

"With this in mind, I have accepted the Inspector-General's recommendation and will write to the Governor-General requesting he revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation for Special Operations Task Groups who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013."

Mr Morrison said he would ensure there was a "fair process" for veterans that would deal with the conduct of a small number of alleged war criminal, "and those who were in positions of command that would have been relied upon to ensure that such conduct was not undertaken".

"That is how we deal with these matters in Australia," he said.

"We do it according to the rule of law, the presumption of innocence, until proven guilty, and in accordance with administrative processes that operate within the defence force regarding conduct in the defence force."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/pm-says-he-will-have-the-final-say-on-whether-afghanistan-veterans-are-stripped-of-awards/news-story/0d606cfa598122cd59557b3dfe1d84be

#11829981 at 2020-11-29 17:46:06 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11829964

2/2

The Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force inquiry undertaken by NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton found the alleged murders involving 25 current or former ADF personnel did not take place in "the heat of battle" and were instead the result of a perverted "warrior culture".

While there was no credible information that troop, squadron and task group commanders knew or suspected that a particular alleged war crime was occurring, Justice Brereton concluded they should "bear moral command responsibility and accountability for what happened under their command and control".

The report notes that "some domestic commanders of (the) SASR bear significant responsibility for contributing to the environment in which war crimes were committed" by allowing a "warrior culture" to develop.

At least 30 senior officers occupied command roles over the course of the war, either in Afghanistan or in Australia as SOCAUST or SASR commanders. The Brereton report found responsibility for the alleged war crimes he identified "does not extend to higher headquarters", including the position of Middle East commander held by General Campbell from 2011-12. Defence last week issued "show cause" notices to 13 SASR soldiers implicated in alleged war crimes identified in the Brereton report - a right of reply before they are sacked.

But a Defence spokeswoman on Sunday said it would take time to deal fully with the complex matters set out in the report. "Where the inquiry report identifies credible information of alleged misconduct, disciplinary or administrative action may be taken," she said.

"This may include actions to address command responsibility, culture, leadership and accountability at all levels in the chain of command."

A spokesman for Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the process "requires comprehensive consultation across government and relevant agencies".

The now-retired Major General Sengelman, who declined to comment, identified cultural and command problems in SASR soon after he took the role of SOCAUST in December 2014 and relayed them to Lieutenant General David Morrison, the then-chief of army.

In an email to General Morrison in May 2015, General Sengelman warned of "serious endemic problems" with SOCOMD.

"This exposes Defence to a risk of not being able to undertake the range of special operations missions required to support Australia's national interests," General Sengelman wrote.

In a September 2015 letter to General Campbell, General Sengelman noted a longstanding culture of alcohol abuse in SASR had been tolerated by commanders. It included anonymous comments volunteered by soldiers detailing "systemic" consumption of alcohol on operations by soldiers and senior officers, and revealed the existence of an on-base pub known as the Fat Lady's Arms.

One soldier said: "I drank alcohol contrary to army policy ... I witnessed this behaviour at all levels of command and therefore was not of the opinion that what I was doing was wrong."

The ADF has already abolished the SASR's troubled 2 Squadron - one of four - after it was singled out amid.

But the Prime Minister said last week he wanted accountability not only for individual alleged war crimes "but also in the chain of command". "That's what I've made very clear through the Defence Minister, who has made that point to both the Chief of the Defence Force as well as the oversight panel," Mr Morrison said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/exsas-leaders-face-scrutiny-by-defence-chief-angus-campbell/news-story/b701fa2789f6c8d67e2fb9e626af98d8

#11747021 at 2020-11-23 05:02:14 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
'How did this happen?': Chief of Army insists he was blind to alleged atrocities in Afghanistan

1/2

Rick Burr, Australia's Chief of Army, felt "sick" when he learned how senior special forces soldiers egged on juniors to execute prisoners, but insists he and other officers overseeing troops in Afghanistan were blind to the suspected atrocities that took place under their watch.

In his first interview since the scathing Brereton inquiry report, Lieutenant-General Burr told The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes of his determination to "hold ourselves to account and win back the trust of the Australian people".

The comments come as Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell said the ADF needed to "own" the shameful conduct examined by the inquiry because "if we don't own it, we won't fix it, and if we don't fix it, this horror may appear again". General Campbell has also backed soldiers being equipped with body-worn cameras to record their actions in the field.

Afghanistan's chief peace envoy, Abdullah Abdullah, said the report into Australian special forces alleged war crimes was shocking, but welcomed the fact that Australia had "come clear about it".

"There is the promise, the prospect of prosecution for those who have committed these heinous crimes that will count. This will help preventing these types of crimes," he said.

On Thursday, NSW Court Of Appeal judge Paul Brereton released his inquiry report, four years in the making, which uncovered credible evidence of 23 incidents in which Afghan non-combatants who had been captured or injured were summarily executed by special forces soldiers or at their direction. Interviews on oath with more than 400 special forces insiders informed Justice Brereton's findings that 39 Afghans were allegedly murdered by Australian special forces.

Lieutenant-General Burr, who commanded the special forces operations of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in 2008, stressed he had heard no whispers of the allegations. He said he was one of "many commanders at many levels (who) are asking, how did this happen?".

As debate rages about how it was possible that no officers knew of the alleged war crimes, Lieutenant-General Burr blamed "deliberate attempts to both conceive conduct and conceal these alleged unlawful acts" by the two dozen-or-so senior and junior soldiers accused of murdering prisoners and civilians.

But Lieutenant-General Burr also agreed that it was the job of officers and military leaders to know what was happening on the ground.

"To now discover that they were lied to … it is truly devastating," he said.

Lieutenant-General Burr insisted that the cultural and leadership failings exposed by Justice Brereton - including celebration of a warrior culture that spurred on some to go rogue - was not evident when he led the Special Air Service Regiment in 2003-04.

"This is not the SAS Regiment that I remember," he said, describing the findings as devastating for "so many individuals who have served in this regiment [doing] ... so many honourable things".

(continued)

#11746847 at 2020-11-23 04:45:30 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
Taliban 'war crimes hypocrites'

1/2

The Afghan government has ­defended Australia's legacy in ­Afghanistan as "overwhelmingly positive" and denounced the ­Taliban as hypocritical after the insurgents pounced on war crimes allegations against SAS troops at the weekend to demand punishment for "savage, degenerate invader" forces.

The militant group called for those responsible for war crimes in Afghanistan to be punished "so that it may heal the hearts of the victims", and warned that alle­gations detailed in the Brereton report were only the tip of an iceberg of atrocities committed by coalition troops.

The statement was uploaded to the Taliban's official website on Saturday, coinciding with fresh rocket attacks on the capital, Kabul, which killed eight and wounded dozens more. At least 163 civilians have been killed in November alone in Afghanistan's ongoing insurgency.

A senior Afghan government official on Sunday dismissed the comments as attempted propaganda, pointing to continued attacks against civilians and government forces even as the insurgents claim to be prosecuting for peace.

Ahmad Shuja Jamal, director general of international affairs and regional co-operation in ­Afghanistan's Office of the Nat­ional Security Council, told The Australian his government was shocked by the details in the Brereton report and welcomed Scott Morrison's assurances to President Ashraf Ghani that prosecutions would be pursued.

A four-year investigation by NSW Court of Appeals judge Paul Brereton found credible evidence that Australian special forces soldiers committed, or directed, up to 39 murders of non-combatants in 23 separate incidents, and ordered junior soldiers to kill Afghan prisoners and civilians in a practice known as "blooding".

Mr Jamal added: "We would also like to make the point that even though evidence uncovered in this report is shocking, the contribution of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan has been overwhelmingly positive in helping us fight terrorism and training ­Afghan National Security Forces in standing their ground in Oruzgan against the Taliban.

"The Taliban think they can use this as an opportunity for propaganda but the reality is they have no moral high ground to stand on. The Taliban are conducting similar scale attacks every other day in this country in deliberate and targeted attacks of civilian in violation of right to life, violation of religious liberties.

"The Taliban are killing civilians, including women and children, in deliberate and indis­crim­inate ways."

His comments came after Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell defended the mission in Afghanistan as one that prevented the country being a base for international terrorism but said he would ultimately be accountable for his role.

(continued)

#11734632 at 2020-11-22 06:16:25 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
How a determined judge cracked the SAS code of silence

1/3

In late July 2019, a tall Australian judge travelled through the crowded streets of Kabul with a security detail in an armoured car.

The arrival in Afghanistan of Justice Paul Brereton was cloaked in secrecy, given the risk he would be targeted for kidnapping or assassination by militants. No one save a few embassy and Australian defence department staff knew of the judge's mission.

There was another reason Brereton could slip into Afghanistan unnoticed. Few in the defence establishment had ever anticipated the judge and army reserve major-general would travel to the war-torn country. He was there to see whether Australian soldiers had committed war crimes during the nation's longest war.

When the NSW Supreme Court of Appeal judge was first appointed in April 2016 to examine "pervasive rumours" of war crimes involving special forces the task was widely regarded as impossible. The code of silence that cloaks the elite Perth-based Special Air Service Regiment and the Sydney-based Commandos was seen as impenetrable, his chances of cracking it virtually nil.

"He hasn't got s–t," one SAS soldier boasted at a barbecue in Perth in 2017, according to others who overheard him. It would be alleged later by eyewitnesses that this soldier ordered the execution of prisoners in 2009. But those allegations would not come out for many months, well after a small clique of SAS soldiers banded together to plot how to discredit any allegations that might reach Brereton's ears.

Smashing the code of silence

There were other reasons to be doubtful of Brereton's prospects. Inquiries into war crimes in the US and UK had both collapsed under political pressure, including that brought by President Donald Trump. And in Canberra, defence had a well-founded reputation for burying bad news.

Even if SAS whistleblowers emerged - and that was a big if - it was uncertain if the quietly spoken, amiable Brereton, along with Defence Force chief General Angus Campbell, would ensure their stories were probed exhaustively. If those stories were then found to be corroborated, would they be relayed to police for possible prosecution? And would any of it be released to the Australian public?

Brereton's trip to Afghanistan in July last year laid some of these unknowns to rest. By the time the judge arrived in Kabul, he had smashed the SAS code of silence. Multiple defence sources have confirmed that whistleblowers had already confessed on oath to executions or having witnessed their SAS soldier colleagues murder Afghan prisoners.

On the ground in Afghanistan, according to local sources, the judge met villagers from the country's south who further corroborated these stories.

The question of whether the public would ever be told of the shocking scale of the war crimes scandal was put to bed on Thursday morning. In a press conference to reveal Brereton's key findings, Campbell excoriated the elite soldiers who allegedly committed war crimes - the suspected murders of 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians - betraying their SAS and Commando colleagues and the nation in whose name they served.

Campbell said Brereton had uncovered a "disgraceful and a profound betrayal of the Australian Defence Force's professional standards and expectations".

When Paul Brereton was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of NSW in August 2005, he was walking in the steps of his father, Justice Russell Brereton, a judge who served for two decades on the same court.

The NSW bar noted the younger Brereton's courage in fighting for justice as a barrister who "stepped forth where others may have feared to tread," as well as his passion acting pro bono for military veterans.

Also like his father, Brereton became a senior officer in the reserves. But where his father had prosecuted Japanese soldiers for war crimes in 1945 - after Australia had helped win the war and the public were baying for the defeated Japanese to be held accountable - Brereton junior was given a far less straightforward task.

In April 2016, after a preliminary investigation by army consultant Dr Samantha Crompvoets had heard multiple disclosures by SAS and Commandos of shocking war crimes, Justice Brereton was tasked with finding more evidence to back up or discount the claims. Public pressure was inevitable, as the accused and their supporters sought to denigrate what became known as the Brereton Inquiry.

(continued)

#11724019 at 2020-11-21 11:22:42 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
Alleged SAS war crimes in Afghanistan are 'disturbing and distressing', Prime Minister Scott Morrison says

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says this week's report finding evidence that special forces murdered at least 39 Afghan civilians or prisoners was "disturbing" but has insisted war crime allegations must be dealt with by the Australian justice system.

The Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) has recommended 19 current and former personnel be prosecuted for war crimes, and compensation be paid to Afghan victims and families.

In his first comments since the handing down of the long-awaited findings, Mr Morrison said the behaviour of a "small number" of soldiers was "disturbing and distressing", but the Government remains concerned for the mental welfare of many other veterans of the Afghanistan conflict.

"Of course, like all other Australians, [I found] the contents of that report disturbing and distressing," Mr Morrison said.

"We need to ensure that the seriousness of the contents of this report are dealt with under the Australian justice system by Australians in accordance with our laws."

The heavily redacted report, completed by New South Wales Justice Paul Brereton, was handed down on Thursday after a four-year inquiry into the conduct of ADF personnel in Afghanistan.

One of the incidents detailed in the report was described by the IGADF as "possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia's military history".

Mr Morrison insisted any prosecutions must adhere to the presumption of innocence and warned that veterans unconnected to the allegations must be looked after.

"The other element that I have been most anxious about is ensuring that all our serving men and women who pull on a uniform, all those who have served, in no way feel reflected upon by the actions alleged of a number, a small number, within our Defence Force," he said.

"It's important that we provide all our men and women in our services, and our veterans, with absolute support.

"They have earned the respect which we rightly provide to them and should. And our support for veterans is incredibly important at this time."

Mr Morrison said he was confident Defence would improve the culture within special forces highlighted by Justice Paul Brereton.

General Angus Campbell yesterday admitted he was questioning his own failure to detect wrongdoing by Australian forces while he was in command of Middle East operations, but the Prime Minister has expressed full confidence in the Defence Chief.

"I have no doubts about the integrity of General Campbell. I have worked with him closely for many years," Mr Morrison said.

Victims' families want to be involved, human rights organisation says

Meanwhile, the head of an Afghan human rights organisation says families of victims want to participate in the criminal investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops against their family members.

Director of Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO), Hadi Marifat, told AM the organisation had been in contact with families of the victims and they want a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the allegations.

"The victims demand nothing but a thorough, transparent, credible and independent investigation into the alleged cases of war crimes in which the families of the victims are provided with opportunities to participate in the investigation process," Mr Marifat told AM.

Mr Marifat said his organisation had shared details of the "ongoing process" of Australia's investigation with the families and there was a possibility that investigators could talk to the families directly.

"We would be, as an organisation, happy to facilitate the contacts and communication between the families of the victims, and the investigators, human rights and victim support organisation," Mr Marifat told AM.

With troops from other Coalition countries previously accused of war crimes in Afghanistan, Mr Marifat said a serious investigation of alleged crimes by Australian authorities would set an example for other nations.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-21/scott-morrison-afghanistan-war-crimes-report-disturbing-distress/12907424

#11723940 at 2020-11-21 11:05:21 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
Inside the warrior culture that shamed Australia

A groundbreaking report into war crimes allegedly committed by Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan has shocked the country and will be carried by a generation of soldiers.

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When Julia Gillard visited Australian troops in Afghanistan in October 2012, she was cautiously optimistic the end was finally in sight.

The transition in handing over responsibility for security in Oruzgan province, where Australian forces were based, had already started. Morale was still good among the soldiers, despite recent casualties, including insider attacks by Afghan soldiers.

"Two-thousand-and-twelve has brought important progress in Afghanistan," Gillard told Parliament upon her return home.

But as Australians and the world have learnt this week, 2012 was the zenith of shocking atrocities allegedly committed by Special Forces soldiers, including the execution of prisoners and innocent civilians, and mistreatment of detainees.

"Guys just had this bloodlust. Psychos. Absolute psychos. And we bred them," one soldier told sociologist Samantha Crompvoets.

Crompvoets' report in January 2016 was one of the catalysts for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force being called in to conduct a four-year inquiry into possible war crimes.

The inquiry, presided over by NSW judge and Army Reserve major-general Paul Brereton found 25 Australian soldiers were complicit in the murder of 39 Afghans and "cruel" mistreatment of two prisoners.

Nineteen have been referred to the newly established Office of the Special Investigator, the Special Air Service Regiment's 2 Squadron has been disbanded and soldiers are having their honours reviewed.

Brereton's report uncovered disturbing allegations that rookie Special Air Service Regiment soldiers were coerced into shooting unarmed prisoners as part of an initiation ceremony. Soldiers would cover up the crime by planting "throwdowns" on the bodies: guns, grenades or radios to make it look like they were the enemy.

Crompvoets heard from soldiers' claims that SASR soldiers slit the throats of two teenage boys because they believed them to be Taliban sympathisers, and tied up and tortured men and boys to interrogate them before shooting them in the head and cutting their throats.

On other occasions, it is claimed "sanctioned massacres" took place when soldiers shot men, women and children in the back as they fled from landing helicopters.

It is unclear whether Brereton examined these claims but his report lists several cases where details are completely redacted, including one he calls "possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia's military history".

But while the war crimes were allegedly committed by only a couple of dozen soldiers, it has tarnished the reputation of the 26,000 Australians who served over more than a decade in the country's longest-running war.

"Australian soldiers have committed war crimes in previous wars but they've been in isolation and haven't been systemic. This clearly is far more serious than anything the ADF has had in its history," Australia Defence Association executive director and former army officer Neil James says.

"When it comes to writing the official history of Australia's involvement in Afghanistan, there will be a chapter on this. You can't tell the true story of achievements and why Australia fought without telling the other side of the story and what we did wrong."

No one off the hook

Brereton pins the blame for criminal activity squarely on SAS patrol commanders - non-commissioned officers in charge of small squads of five soldiers - who were treated as "demigods" by younger soldiers.

"They do this shit and then get a medal and we all know what actually happened," one soldier told Crompvoets.

The junior officers immediately above the patrol commanders were either unwilling or unable to challenge the "warrior culture" these NCOs fostered, often being ostracised if they tried to.

Brereton effectively exonerates troop and squadron commanders as well as senior officers at the headquarters level. He said there was no evidence of either knowledge of war crimes or a "reckless indifference" to them, although suggests they had a moral responsibility for what happened under their command.

(continued)

#11712363 at 2020-11-20 08:30:07 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11610740
>>11702658
Arrogance and impunity: Inside the 2012 SAS deployment to Afghanistan

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Even before the Special Air Service Regiment's 2nd and 3rd squadrons deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, there were red flags about a small number of SAS soldiers.

The heavy-set, scowling Patrol Commander Z had been accused by police and associates in Perth of domestic violence, heavy drinking and mental instability, but he escaped serious criminal sanction and was told by SAS command he could still deploy overseas.

The equally aggressive and arrogant Patrol Commander X was, according to two SAS colleagues, overheard encouraging a junior soldier to execute prisoners during a training exercise. Soldier X was challenged by his peers but shrugged it off. He too packed his bags for southern Afghanistan in 2012.

There were other signs of a malaise in the regiment leading up to those 2012 deployments, which came a decade into Australia's longest war. A junior officer later wrote in a confidential letter, obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, that pockets of the regiment were "no better than an infantry battalion from a bygone era, where binge drinking and other reckless behaviour was commonplace".

"We have lowered our moral obligations," the officer warned.

He was not the only one to express such concerns. A second officer who worked with the SAS and deployed to Afghanistan described being worried that impunity for minor rule-breaking was fuelling a feeling among some soldiers that they were untouchable.

As the Brereton inquiry's final war crimes report made clear when it was released on Thursday, the slipping of standards in the most elite army regiment in Australia did indeed foreshadow something worse.

In 2012, more alleged war crimes occurred than in any other year, and those two patrol commanders, Z and X, whom The Age and Herald have chosen not to name for legal reasons, are allegedly responsible for some of the worst incidents from 2012 that have been referred to federal police.

"It was at the patrol commander level that the criminal behaviour was conceived, committed, continued and concealed," Justice Paul Brereton wrote in his report. Evidence he uncovered, along with that previously revealed in multiple reports over three years by this masthead, suggests 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians were murdered in cold blood.

Yet almost all of those now accused of those murders came very close to escaping accountability. Their reckoning would take years to arrive.

Among the most pressing questions to emerge from Thursday's briefing by Chief of Defence Force Angus Campbell about the findings of the Brereton inquiry is whether these pre-deployment warning signs and other red flags could have been acted on to prevent war crimes.

If that is the case, who failed to act? Senior soldiers? Their officer superiors? And what of the failure to realise that other pressures facing soldiers - such as the repeated deployments in a war without any clearly defined final objective - might be eroding moral standards? How far does responsibility for this failure extend up the chain of command?

(continued)

#11706208 at 2020-11-19 18:06:31 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
War crimes report: Diggers covered their tracks in the Afghan killing fields

Special forces soldiers are alleged to have unlawfully killed 39 unarmed Afghans and repeatedly tried to cover up their deaths by placing weapons or equipment with the bodies to make it look as though they died in action.

The shocking details of 23 ­incidents from 2009 to 2013, in which one or more non-­combatants were killed, and ­another two Afghans who posed no threat were cruelly treated by the soldiers, have been revealed in the 531-page Paul Brereton war crimes inquiry report.

"None of these are incidents of disputable decisions made under pressure in the heat of battle," the report states.

"The cases in which it has been found that there is credible information of a war crime are ones in which it was, or should have been, plain that the person killed was a non-combatant, or hors de ­combat.

"While a few of these are cases of Afghan local nationals encountered during an operation who were in no reasonable view participating in hostilities, the vast ­majority are cases where the persons were killed when hors de combat because they had been captured and were persons under control, and as such were protected under international law, breach of which was a crime."

A number of SAS soldiers were accused of failing to properly exercise control over their subordinates despite knowing what they were about to do.

The names of the 25 current or former Australian Defence Force personnel who either committed the alleged crimes or were accessories have been redacted, as has an entire incident that was described as "possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia's military ­history".

While there was no credible ­information that troop, squadron and task group commanders knew or suspected that a particular ­alleged war crime was occurring, the report found they should bear moral responsibility for what happened under their command.

A summary of the once secret 2016 report into the culture of special operations command conducted by sociologist Samantha Crompvoets, which prompted the Brereton inquiry, was included in the war crimes report.

"A specific incident described to Dr Crompvoets involved an ­incident where members from the SASR (Special Air Service Regiment) were driving along a road and saw two 14-year-old boys whom they decided might be Taliban sympathisers," the Brereton report states.

"They stopped, searched the boys and slit their throats. The rest of the troop then had to 'clean up the mess', which involved bagging the bodies and throwing them into a nearby river.

Dr Crompvoets says she was told this was not an isolated ­incident.

"In this context, Dr Crompvoets says she was told that special forces soldiers were committing unsanctioned killing in order to 'get a name for themselves' and to join the 'in' group."

Other scenarios detailed to Dr Crompvoets by special forces ­insiders included "body count competitions" and the use of a sanctioned kill list, with names of people killed added to the list after their deaths.

Alleged war crimes occurred between 2007 and 2013 but the ­incidents with sufficient evidence to prosecute began in 2009.

There were 28 incidents - ­including waterboarding and a knife being held to a man's testicles - that the inquiry found were not substantiated, and ­rumours, allegations or suspicions of a breach of law of armed conflict could not be proven.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/war-crimes-report-diggers-covered-their-tracks-in-the-afghan-killing-fields/news-story/26f659f349ca57bdbcb3e3f4759342e2

#11706163 at 2020-11-19 18:01:24 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
War crimes report: Top brass kept in the dark by 'boilerplate' reports

Australian Defence Force commanders were kept in the dark over unlawful conduct in Afghanistan, with staff officers portraying incident reports "in a way which would minimise the likelihood of attracting appropriate command scrutiny".

The Afghanistan Inquiry Report, released on Thursday, said incident reporting was "manipulated" to avoid oversight by higher command and became so routine that operational updates had a "boilerplate flavour".

Paul Brereton, an Army Reserve infantry major general and NSW Supreme Court judge, said operational reporting was "routinely embellished and sometimes outright fabricated".

"This extended to alternative reporting lines, such as intelligence reporting, which was carefully controlled. It also generated resistance to lawfully authorised investigations and inquiries," he said.

Previous inquiries into civilian casualties in Afghanistan failed to expose the scale of alleged war crimes, largely due to false information provided to investigations. The Inspector-General's report said misreporting may have been a manifestation of a wider propensity "to be inclined to report what superior commanders are believed to want to hear".

"Integrity in reporting is fundamental for sound command decisions and operational oversight. The wider manifestation needs to be addressed in leadership training and ethical training, from the start of a military career and continuing throughout it."

Governor General David Hurley, chief of the defence force when the alleged offences were committed, on Thursday acknowledged a large number of war crimes were "hidden as combat casualties in operational reports".

Chief of Defence Force Angus Campbell said the roles of commanders, many who remain in the ADF, in relation to the reporting would be reviewed. "I'm leaving all options on the table and I want to work through the issue, case-by-case," General Campbell said.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, CDF from 2005 to 2011, has yet to publicly respond.

Justice Brereton said it was hard to see how any officer "could in good conscience retain a distinguished service award" for a command during which there was a substantiated war crime.

"The Inquiry has recommended that distinguished service awards to commanders at troop, squadron and task group level in respect of Special Operations Task Group Rotations ... be reviewed. It has also made recommendations concerning some particular individual awards," he said. "The Inquiry has made numerous recommendations to address strategic, operational, structural, training and cultural factors that appear to have contributed, although generally indirectly, to the incidents and issues referred to in this Report."

Chief of the Army Rick Burr, who led the SAS from 2003 to 2004, will lead cultural reform and support ADF members who gave evidence to the inquiry.

Scott Morrison assured veterans and serving personnel that the government was committed to tackling the "sets of rules and other conditioning factors".

The Prime Minister said where alleged acts took place, it was important "lessons are learned to ensure that they can't be repeated".

"For all those veterans out there, I want to assure you, and serving men and women as well, that this process doesn't just look at any particular events or acts. But it also looks at the environment and the sets of rules and other conditioning factors that were relevant here," he told Sky News.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/war-crimes-report-top-brass-kept-in-the-dark-by-boilerplate-reports/news-story/daba941def4ce5fcdeda4693968056b8

#11705983 at 2020-11-19 17:35:52 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
Whistleblowers relieved as war crimes report prompts calls for justice

The damning report into war crimes allegedly committed by Australia's special forces has come as a relief to a number of those who blew the whistle on wrongdoing, and as the Afghan victims call for justice for their dead family members.

The Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell also apologised to Afghanistan, describing the treatment of some Afghans by some Australian soldiers as shameful and abhorrent.

"I am sincerely sorry for their loss," General Campbell said of Afghan families who had loved ones allegedly unlawfully executed by special forces soldiers during the war in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2015.

And Prime Minister Scott Morrison also personally informed Afghanistan's President, Ashraf Ghani, about the release of the report, saying it contained disturbing allegations.

Mr Ghani's office revealed in a statement that Foreign Minister Marise Payne had written to her counterpart and "extended apologies for the misconduct identified by the inquiry, by some Australian military personnel in Afghanistan". Senator Payne's office confirmed this.

The statement from Mr Ghani's office also says Mr Morrison expressed "deepest sorrow" over the misconduct of some troops. However, the Prime Minister's office said the purpose of the conversation was to make the President aware of the report, not to apologise.

A small number of serving Special Air Service Regiment soldiers told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that while the report had taken a long time, they had greeted its publication with relief tainted with sadness.

"We were attacked at the time for speaking out, but what we have done has probably saved the regiment," one SAS whistleblower said. Some special forces regiments overseas have been disbanded after scandals were identified by people outside those regiments.

"A small number of us did the right thing. We have had our careers stuffed ever since. But it was the right thing," one soldier said. The Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr this morning briefed the SAS at the Swanbourne Barracks in Perth about Justice Paul Brereton's report.

Former SAS medic Dusty Miller has welcomed the Brereton report and said it showed the SAS soldiers who spoke up about wrongdoing had done the hard but right thing. Mr Miller disclosed to the Brereton inquiry evidence that an injured unarmed Afghan, Haji Sardar, was murdered by a senior SAS soldier after he was taken from Mr Miller's care.

"I think the word is validation. There's lots of us that have gone, 'This happened. That happened. The other happened,' and I think it's been proven."

Abdul Latif, whose father Haji Sardar was allegedly summarily executed by an SAS soldier in March 2012, also welcomed the release of the Brereton report. "I am happy that this inquiry has been released. It is a step towards justice."

"It was so cruel what they did to our father. They killed him for no reason. There must also be justice for those people who committed the killing."

Abdul Gharraf is an Adelaide doctor who worked as a war crimes investigator for the Afghan Human Rights Commission in southern Afghanistan during the war and previously expressed frustration at the failure of Australian officials to acknowledge alleged war crimes.

"This is really important. Australia is the first country among the countries who came to Afghanistan to do a proper investigation. It is vital that Australia has accepted that civilians and innocent lives were lost. It is very important for Australians to think of the people affected by the war. There was a problem in the system."

Mr Gharraf undertook repeated investigations into alleged war crimes carried out by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan before 2013, but was repeatedly rebuffed by Australian officers when he raised concerns. The Brereton Inquiry has savaged the failure of military investigation officers to thoroughly investigate suspicious deaths that Justice Brereton has, after four years of investigation, identified as alleged war crimes.

"They never previously took action about these incidents. Without this inquiry, Australians and Afghans would never have known what had really happened."

"It is a brave step by the Australian government. The soldiers who spoke out are good men. They should be protected. But those who did the wrong thing and who are still trying to cover it up, they should face justice."

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

https://www.smh.com.au/national/whistleblowers-relieved-as-war-crimes-report-prompts-calls-for-justice-20201119-p56g09.html

#11703243 at 2020-11-19 07:11:09 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
SAS squadron disbanded over Afghan claims

The Special Air Service second squadron has been ordered disbanded following a damning report.

An investigation by Justice Paul Brereton found there was credible evidence of 23 incidents in which a total of 39 Afghan nationals were unlawfully killed.

Australia's defence chief Angus Campbell told reporters the Chief of Army Rick Burr had advised the Special Air Service Regiment on Thursday the second squadron had been "struck off the Army order of battle".

"Not because it was the only squadron involved in these issues, but because it was at a time one of the squadrons involved in the allegations made," he said.

The Army chief would "over time" adjust and re-raise a different squadron, which would have a different title, General Campbell said.

https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/7019632/sas-squadron-disbanded-over-afghan-claims/

#11703205 at 2020-11-19 07:00:36 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11702658
Brereton war crimes report: Defence urges probe into 19 soldiers over 39 alleged murders

At least 25 serving and former Australian special forces soldiers are alleged to have unlawfully killed 39 people in Afghanistan during combat operations in the war-torn country.

A bombshell report into alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers, released this morning, recommends at least 19 Afghanistan veterans be prosecuted for alleged murders, and says commanders bear moral responsibility for the actions of lower ranks.

Justice Paul Brereton's report on alleged war crimes by Australian forces in Afghanistan was handed down on Thursday.

In some incidents, he found there was credible evidence that junior soldiers were required by patrol commanders to shoot prisoners to achieve their first kill in a practice known as "blooding".

"There is credible information that junior soldiers were required by their patrol commanders to shoot a prisoner, in order to achieve the soldier's first kill," Justice Brereton said in his report for the IGADF released on Thursday.

Justice Brereton also found two incidents in which there was credible evidence of an alleged war crime of mistreatment of non-combatants.

"None of these are incidents of disputable decisions made under pressure in the heat of battle," he said.

He said the findings were a "disgraceful and profound betrayal of the Australian Defence Force's professional standards and expectations".

The inquiry found credible information that "throwdowns" - weapons or radios planted on bodies - were used by special operations soldiers to conceal their crimes; and Judge Brereton found while senior officers must bear some responsibility, the alleged crimes were "commenced, committed, continued and concealed" by corporals or sergeants in the field, who were seen by junior troopers as "demigods" who could make or break their careers.

Some of the alleged incidents took place in 2009 and 2010, with the majority occurring in 2012 and 2013.

Defence Force Chief, General Angus Campbell, issued an apology to the people of Afghanistan and Australia.

"I sincerely and unreservedly apologise for any wrongdoing by Australian soldiers, and apologises to Australian public over war crimes," General Campbell said.

Justice Brereton's report recommends compensation be paid to the families of the victims in Afghanistan ahead of any prosecutions, and recommends a review of all distinguished service awards for commanders "on whose watch" the alleged crimes occurred.

The report focuses largely on alleged unlawful killings by soldiers from the Perth-based Special Air Service Regiment.

It uncovered no evidence of a consistent pattern of misbehaviour in the nation's other main special operations regiment, the Sydney-based 2nd Commandos.

However, it says the inquiry may have been less successful "in breaching the code of silence in 2nd Commando Regiment" than that of the SASR.

He found commanders had no knowledge of, and were not recklessly indifferent, to the crimes, which were concealed by those involved. But he said lack of knowledge or suspicion over what occurred "does not relieve commanders of all responsibility", noting they indirectly contributed to criminal behaviour by failing to enforce professional standards, "by sanitising or embellishing" reports, and by failing to challenge the accounts of those on the ground.

Justice Brereton said Special Operations task group, troop, squadron and task group commanders "bear moral command responsibility and accountability for what happened under their command and control".

"Commanders set the conditions in which their units may flourish or whither, including the culture which promotes, permits or prohibits certain behaviour," his inquiry found.

"It is clear there must have been within Special Operations Task Group a culture that at least permitted the behaviours described in this report."

He said those in SASR who embraced and fostered a "warrior culture", including "the clique of non-commissioned officers who propagated it", and the domestic commanders who failed to restrain it, bore a "substantial indirect responsibility" for the crimes.

However, he said the commanders of Australia's Middle East operations, who included Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell from 2011-12, were not accountable, because they did not have a sufficient degree of command and control to attract the principles of command responsibility".

The inquiry found protracted and repeated deployments of a small number of special forces operators was a contributing factor.

https://twitter.com/CDF_Aust/status/1329188585132548097

https://twitter.com/ChiefAusArmy/status/1329237745940631552

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/Brereton-report-defence-recommends-probe-into-19-soldiers-over-39-alleged-murders/news-story/c8887317c84db3cde1ec1066c13a44ab

#11689814 at 2020-11-18 05:19:37 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11689784

2/5

Another Defence document condemned the Cock of the Year award as a "morally bankrupt and gutless attack with no intent except to humiliate through a mob mentality", adding it was no longer humorous and was "becoming poisonous and divisive" and "cowardly".

"Who here would be happy to be pulled up in from of the [regiment] as Cock of the Year and humiliated?" it asked.

Defence has told the ABC that it did investigate the 2010 Cock of the Year award, adding that the Stirrer's Parade was suspended in 2017, and hasn't been held since.

But, put simply, the Stirrer's Parade was largely emblematic of what had gone wrong with the SAS, at home and in Afghanistan.

"We had some good sergeants and not so good sergeants," says another former SAS operator. "The not so good sergeants were the ones who were able to shape and influence and be those cancerous individuals that led [the SAS] down that path."

That path led to a more than four-year inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF).

Headed by New South Wales Supreme Court judge and Army Reserve Major General Paul Brereton, the inquiry was sparked by "vague rumours of special forces soldiers' very serious wrongdoing over a period of more than 10 years". The most important report in the Australian Defence Force's (ADF) recent history, the military brass is preparing for the bombshell when it is publicly released tomorrow.

Resistance to interrogation

Among the inquiry's biggest challenges has been to lift the veil of secrecy on which the special forces community relies, to gain the trust of sceptical and sometimes frightened witnesses, and to corroborate the often nebulous "rumours" of war crimes on distant battlefields.

This was never going to go to script, like a TV crime show in which the guilty crack and confess. The SAS operators being interviewed by the inquiry team have all done "resistance to interrogation" training. These are hard men who have been taught how to endure torture, beatings and sleep deprivation in a bid to break them.

The driving force behind the inquiry has been Paul Brereton himself, a highly respected jurist and no-nonsense inquisitor.

Over the course of the inquiry, Brereton and his team have heard shocking allegations of the cold-blooded killings of civilians, the summary execution of detainees, bashings, the planting of weapons on bodies, and the "blooding" of special forces soldiers involving superiors ordering them to shoot people.

These allegations involve some of our most elite soldiers, revered for their courage and celebrated for their honour. The special forces who shouldered the load in Afghanistan constitute just 5 per cent of our military personnel, yet they made up half of the casualties in that conflict. The men of the SAS and commandos have been held up as heroes and role models by our political leaders, and some have been showered with awards and decorations. Yet, here were some of them - a small minority, it has to be said - being accused of the most heinous of crimes, including the murder of innocents.

The secret database

For the past 14 months I have been travelling the country talking to former special forces soldiers and support staffers who have served in Afghanistan.

They are a naturally reticent, even secretive bunch. They work in the shadows and the vast majority don't seek the limelight. The media is to be shunned. We are almost worse than the Taliban. For many, what happened years ago in the valleys, mountains and mud compounds of Afghanistan should stay there.

These veterans have also seen what happens when the media gets involved in reporting allegations of war crimes. Few would forget AFP officers swarming the lobby of the ABC's Ultimo office in June last year, searching the broadcaster's database for evidence linked to the 2017 Afghan Files series. Former military lawyer David McBride has been charged with leaking classified documents, breaching the Defence Act, and stealing Commonwealth property.

Following the ground-breaking work of Nine Newspapers' Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters, and the ABC's Dan Oakes, Andrew Greene and Sam Clark, I found there were veterans who did want to talk about some of the things they saw. Incidents that haunted them. They believed that these crimes needed to be exposed, the perpetrators punished, and the regiment's honour restored.

(continued)

#11688717 at 2020-11-18 03:37:16 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11665665
>>11688552
Conflict questions on Defence war crime troika

The head of the nation's special forces, Major General Adam Findlay, has been appointed to a special role advising Chief of Army Rick Burr on how to implement the recommendations of the Brereton war crimes inquiry.

The appointment, which he will take up in January, confirms Defence's response to the inquiry - including "cultural, organis­ational and leadership" changes flagged by Scott Morrison - will be led from within Lieutenant General Burr's office.

General Findlay, a beret-qualified Special Air Service officer and former troop commander, is highly regarded within Defence and was appointed as Special Operations Commander Australia in June 2017 - well after the Brereton inquiry got under way.

A former colleague said he was "the outsider you have when you're not having an outsider".

However, some former Special Air Service Regiment members, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said General Findlay, General Burr and Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell had conflicts of interest when it came to implementing the Brereton inquiry's findings.

All three passed the gruelling selection course to become officers in the elite Perth-based SASR, and all three held special forces command roles.

One former SAS member said it was a case of "vampires running the blood bank".

Another said: "I can think of at least three senior people who would have been excellent ­choices ... and all of them are outside Special Forces Command."

There is also anger among some serving and former special forces operators over what they see as a public relations campaign by Defence ahead of the Brereton report's public release by General Campbell on Thursday.

Interviews with consultant ­sociologist Samantha Crompvoets on her 2015 report on special forces problems, which would have required the waiving of confidentiality requirements, were seen by some as an attempt to portray the Defence leadership in a proactive and positive light before the report dropped.

Scott Morrison said last week he was satisfied General Campbell and General Burr had appropriately declared their conflicts of interest. The Prime Minister also appointed an independent panel of three eminent Australians "to provide oversight and assurance" on Defence's response to the ­inquiry.

The Australian asked Defence to provide General Campbell and General Burr's conflict of interest declarations, and to advise whether General Findlay was considered to have any conflicts of interest that would affect his ability to undertake his new role.

A Defence spokeswoman said General Campbell's and General Burr's military service was "a matter of public record", and noted that General Campbell referred rumours and allegations of war crimes by special forces soldiers to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force.

Defence did not respond by deadline on the question in relation to General Findlay.

NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton's report for the IGADF follows a four-year inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. It is expected to detail about 12 alleged war crimes committed in the Afghanistan conflict, involving 10 or more special forces soldiers.

The classified report is believed to be set out in three sections and run to more than 500 pages, but much of its content cannot be released publicly because it would jeopardise future prosecutions or reveal top secret operational information.

It is expected the report will focus heavily on alleged war crimes identified in interviews with more than 350 witnesses.

It will also deal with failures of leadership, culture and accountability that allowed special forces soldiers to allegedly murder civilians and prisoners on deployment in Afghanistan.

Most of the alleged crimes are expected to be attributed to SASR operators, although soldiers from the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment could also be among the accused.

Mr Morrison has warned the nation will face "brutal truths" with the release of the long-awaited report.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/conflict-questions-on-defence-war-crime-troika/news-story/723cf6a6f2f800243087b79ec66b0113

#11665944 at 2020-11-16 09:11:32 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11665665
How the Lindt cafe siege exposed army atrocities

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On December 16, 2014, Australians were absorbing news of the Lindt cafe siege, the deaths of two hostages and claims army special forces should have been brought in to deal with this act of terrorism rather than police.

Major-General Jeff Sengelman had just become Special Operations Commander Australia, which put him in charge of Australia's most highly trained troops, and it fell to him to assess whether those soldiers could have done a better job.

The issues ­appeared straightforward: whether the troops had the right skills and what powers the civil authorities had to call them in. It was important to find out how agencies involved in counter-terrorism activities felt about the army being involved.

Sengelman engaged sociologist Samantha Crompvoets to discuss with a range of agencies, including the Australian Security Intelligence Service and police forces, what the potential future role of SOCOMD was in relation to domestic counter-terrorism.

No one then had any idea of the dark events this straightforward inquiry would bring to light.

As she began her inquiry in the wake of the cafe siege, Crompvoets was surprised to be told stories that questioned the reputation of the special forces.

Concerned, she wrote up her report on agency views of military involvement in "civil events such as sieges". An appendix covered concerns raised about SF activities in Afghanistan, noting there appeared to be serious problems with the behaviour of some members of the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan that may have extended to unsanctioned, illegal violence.

As this was happening and within days of taking over ­SOCOMD, Sengelman, too, had heard stories about atrocities. He asked SF soldiers to contact him if they were willing to talk. He received about 200 responses.

He took his concerns, and those raised by Crompvoets, to Army Commander Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, who called in the Inspector-General of the ADF. Paul Brereton was asked to examine what were then unconfirmed rumours.

Soldiers appalled

Within days, Justice Brereton's investigation of war crimes allegedly committed by SF soldiers in ­Afghanistan will confirm that atrocities were committed.

That investigation, and others carried out by the Australian Defence Force in parallel to it, have also identified disastrous failures in the structure and leadership of Special Operations Command.

It won't bring back Afghans allegedly murdered by some of those sent to protect them but if there's a degree of redemption for the army in the shocking scenario now emerging, it's in the fact that the four-year war crimes investigation was launched by the ADF and that it has relied heavily on the testimony of soldiers appalled by what they saw.

Justice Brereton, a major-general in the Army Reserve, has spent four years investigating claims that members of the Special Operations Task Group breached the Laws of Armed Conflict between 2005 and 2016.

Along with probing criminal killings and torture, the inquiry examined whether aspects of the organis­ational, operational and cultural environment in ­SOCOMD en­abled breaches of the law of armed conflict to occur.

ADF commanders have been working to rectify what they've described as "catastrophic cultural and professional shortfalls" within SOCOMD and "corrosive" friction between the major special forces units, the Special Air Service Regiment and the commandos. Under the pressure of 20 intense rotations in Afghanistan over 11 years, the special forces had become isolated from the rest of the army, they say.

The Brereton inquiry was carried out amid deep operational secrecy. As the probe progressed, the reality turned out much worse than imagined. By early 2020, it was examining 55 different episodes, predominantly unlawful killings of unarmed ­civilians or prisoners of war.

In 2018, army commander Lieutenant General Rick Burr asked former ASIO chief David Irvine to review SOCOMD to assess why this had happened and how it could be fixed.

Irvine found that after a decade of constant combat in ­Afghanistan and the Middle East, the command was "worn out and run down". He warned that in an elite unit, esprit de corps could quickly turn into arrogance.

In a closely knit, inward-looking unit, "can do" could become "only we can do". Australia's ­special forces had to be well grounded and humble, he said.

(continued)

#11665671 at 2020-11-16 08:18:45 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11665665

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Dr Crompvoets' April 2016 report to generals Campbell and Sengelman described conduct that the military insiders she spoke to likened to the Abu Ghraib affair, the Iraq prisoner torture scandal that enveloped the US military in 2004. The crimes disclosed in her interviews with Australian special forces included alleged "competition killing and blood lust" and "the inhumane and unnecessary treatment of prisoners".

In her interview with The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes, she says some allegedly unlawful behaviour, such as summary executions, were "celebrated and normalised, and almost a rite of passage for some people".

Some of the men she spoke to, such as a soldier who described two unarmed teens having their throats allegedly slit and their bodies disposed of in a river, were in mental anguish. Others were emotionless as they explained how the mistreatment of prisoners became routine as small groups of special forces began writing their own rules of war.

She remembers a young SAS soldier telling her how "the rules are different here," as he described the longer leash given to special forces soldiers when compared to regular army soldiers.

"I think that whole idea that the rules are different ... creates an environment that is conducive to things going wrong," she says.

Dr Crompvoets did not spare the chain of command, which sent special forces on multiple deployments and in some cases incentivised high body counts while failing to act on suspicious "killed in action" post-operational reports and briefings.

She wrote how insiders felt it "shameful" that the officers leading the special forces in Afghanistan "muted" concerns about misconduct that were raised at the time. They deployed special forces again and again on capture and kill missions in what by 2012 had become a hopeless war.

Dr Crompvoets' savaging of the bystander culture that festered in the special forces, where pressure to protect colleagues was strong, has already led to major reforms.

She remains in touch with soldiers shattered by what they witnessed and, sometimes, their own failure to challenge more powerful colleagues or officers who would be later rewarded with medals and promotions.

"I don't think we should forget that it's not just those soldiers in the Special Forces units. It's those people around them that potentially facilitated those behaviours as well," she says.

"I also spoke to people who did call out bad behaviour and who were basically belittled and left broken."

In 2018, two years after Dr Crompvoets delivered her confidential findings that war crimes had likely occurred, parts of her report were leaked to The Age and the Herald by military sources. Dr Crompvoets was savaged on social media and in some mainstream outlets, accused of being a left-leaning feminist cultural warrior. The irony was that she was in fact a conduit for the concerns of battle-hardened soldiers.

Former defence minister Brendan Nelson falsely claimed that the war crimes under scrutiny were "fog of war" incidents, rather than summary executions. The execution of prisoners and non-combatants is a crime under international and Australian law.

On Thursday, Lieutenant General Campbell will tell the nation of the scale of alleged war crimes committed by Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. He is releasing the summary of the final report of the Brereton inquiry, the inspector general's exhaustive and forensic probe triggered by Dr Crompvoets' earlier work.

The Brereton inquiry has interviewed more than 350 witnesses on oath and has reviewed thousands of classified files. Witnesses have given detailed statements and some suspects have confessed.

The report is expected to detail "bloodings", in which junior soldiers were encouraged to execute prisoners and civilians. The12 cases reported previously by The Age and the Herald involve Afghans murdered while defenceless and unarmed. Some had their hands bound.

Dr Crompvoets expects backlash from some who will try to blur the fact that Justice Paul Brereton's findings, like her own, are a product of SAS and Commandos who could not stand by any longer.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

https://www.defence.gov.au/health/dmh/allhourssupportline.asp

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

https://www.theage.com.au/national/killings-of-afghans-happened-all-the-time-20201115-p56erx.html

#11665665 at 2020-11-16 08:16:52 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

Killings of Afghans 'happened all the time'

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The disclosures from the special forces soldiers came slowly at first. Some spoke of killing as a "sport". Others of shame suffered in silence.

As word spread among the secretive community of soldiers and spies who had served for Australia in Afghanistan, information arrived with more urgency. Some men spoke matter-of-factly; others broke down. One thread bound many of them. It was their belief that small cliques of their fellow special forces soldiers had turned bad with impunity.

"One of the most disturbing things for me was people saying the phrase 'it happened all the time'," says Dr Samantha Crompvoets of the information special forces insiders and whistleblowers disclosed to her about summary executions of unarmed Afghans, including prisoners and civilians.

Dr Crompvoets is the author of a secret 2016 report commissioned by military chief Angus Campbell. It was her report that sparked the nation's biggest war crimes probe, the Brereton inquiry, a summary of which is due to be publicly released this week.

For two years, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes have requested an interview with Dr Crompvoets and were rebuffed.

As her 2016 report detailing war crime disclosures is set to be validated this week by judge Paul Brereton's four-year inquiry, the sociologist has granted her first detailed interview about her work and of the role of Lieutenant General Campbell in helping uncover the scandal.

Dr Crompvoets' reluctance to speak publicly is understandable. There is no good news in what she found, except for two facts. First, it was courageous SAS members and Commandos who exposed the special forces dirty laundry. Second, the defence force's instinctive nature to cover up embarrassment was subsumed by the need to air what Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week described as brutal, ugly truths. These two things have likely saved the SAS from being disbanded like it was in Canada when a similar scandal emerged. Dr Crompvoets drove both of them. Lieutenant General Campbell, too, didn't look away.

When Dr Crompvoets warned Lieutenant General Campbell in early 2016 that special forces insiders were disclosing to her abhorrent war crimes allegations, he urged her to keep digging and "write it all down".

"We're not talking about a couple of fog of war events that were, you know, perhaps confusing to understand," Dr Crompvoets recalls. "This is deliberate repeated patterns of behaviour."

It could have gone another way. Two generals, Lieutenant General Campbell and Jeff Sengelman, had in 2015 commissioned Dr Crompvoets to examine cultural failings in the special forces, especially the poor relations between the nation's two elite fighting arms, the SAS and the Commandos.

The SAS and Commandos conduct Australia's most arduous and dangerous surveillance and combat missions. Hundreds of their members were tasked with Australia's operations in Afghanistan's south after a western-led coalition invaded the country in response to the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Dr Crompvoets, 44, a highly intelligent and focused businesswoman who runs a Canberra firm specialising in examining and improving organisational culture, had previously been tasked by senior generals to handle sensitive defence force reviews. For her 2015-16 special forces probe, war crimes were not in her terms of reference.

But as she conducted the review, she encountered something much graver than rivalry between two branches of the special forces. It was Lieutenant General Campbell who encouraged Dr Crompvoets to roam more widely across the special forces and intelligence community and record every dark disclosure.

"He told me that bad news doesn't get better with time," she says.

In this case, it would get much worse.

Dr Crompvoets knew her status as a female civilian would lead to her being attacked. But it was the fact that she was not in the military that led to special forces insiders turning to her.

"People trusted that I was outside the organisation. I was looking at this quite objectively, I had nothing to win or lose, regardless of what I reported," she says.

"I was very conscious that I'm a woman who has never been to war and there's a whole lot of stuff that I don't know. But the things that were described to me, there was no doubt that these things had occurred. And I heard similar stories from different people."

"If I had thought, 'these are just kind of baseless rumours', I just wouldn't have reported it."

(continued)

#11610740 at 2020-11-12 17:50:39 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

Ten SAS soldiers under investigation by war crimes investigators over 12 Afghan deaths

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Federal police, Commonwealth prosecutors and a special counsel appointed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison will investigate the summary execution of at least 12 Afghan non-combatants or prisoners in what is shaping to be among the most complex law enforcement inquiries in Australian history.

Allegations about the conduct of an estimated 10 Australian Special Air Services Regiment (SAS) veterans who served in Afghanistan, including five still-serving members, have been or will soon be referred to authorities, according to Defence sources and special forces insiders.

But it is unclear how many commandos - another arm of Australia's special forces - will be referred to police as a result of the recently completed four-year investigation by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have previously reported that a former commando confessed to executing a prisoner in southern Afghanistan in 2012.

The investigation, conducted by senior judge Paul Brereton, canvassed alleged war crimes committed by special forces troops between 2005 and 2016. A public summary, which names no individual soldiers, is set to be released by Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell next week.

Special forces sources who are not authorised to speak publicly have confirmed that the inquiry heard a number of confessions from soldiers. This poses a potentially significant but not insurmountable challenge for investigators seeking to turn Justice Brereton's findings into evidence that can be admitted to court in a criminal prosecution. Confessions obtained during compulsory questioning, and evidence derived from these confessions, cannot be used to prosecute the confessor in Australian law, but witness testimony can be used in future trials.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday that the government would appoint a special investigator to work with police and prosecutors overseeing the cases to be referred by Justice Brereton. The appointment acknowledges the limitations of evidence collected by the Inspector-General.

Mr Morrison also said any soldiers subject to the allegations needed to face the consequences, and it was also important to hold those accountable up the chain of command who had "responsibility for the environment in which those Australians served".

Mr Morrison said Australian Defence Force personnel had a lot to be proud of and it was important all members were not tarnished by the report. But he said the high standards and respect for the ADF "requires us to deal with honest and brutal truths". Mr Morrison said Australia needed to have a "deep respect for justice and the rule of law".

In 2018, then chief of the Defence Force Mark Binskin referred Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith for investigation by the federal police, which recently submitted a brief of evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. The DPP is assessing whether the war hero should be charged.

Mr Roberts-Smith, who denies wrongdoing and has launched defamation proceedings against The Age and Herald, will be among the SAS figures referred to the special investigator, special forces sources said.

On Thursday evening, Mr Roberts-Smith released a statement that falsely asserted that a "member of the media" triggered the police taskforces into his alleged war crimes. In fact, Air Chief Marshal Binskin referred Mr Roberts-Smith to the AFP following an earlier referral the Defence chief received about the VC's recipient's alleged criminal conduct from Justice Brereton.

Mr Roberts-Smith's statement also sought to dismiss Justice Brereton's inquiry as founded in "rumours", despite the senior judge conducting more than 350 interviews on oath and examining thousands of classified documents. He welcomed the announcement by Mr Morrison and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, saying it was "heartening" that the matters would be examined by a special investigator's office.

(continued)

#11593710 at 2020-11-11 17:45:30 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #11 - THE SILENT WAR CONTINUES Edition

>>11495844
>>11571508
Court orders war hero Ben Roberts-Smith to hand over documents to media

Highly decorated former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has been ordered to hand over the preliminary findings made by a war crimes inquiry into his conduct in Afghanistan to lawyers acting for the media companies he is suing for defamation.

The Federal Court ruling on Wednesday ordered Mr Roberts-Smith to provide the documents he had argued should remain secret. The documents are significant because they confirm the Afghan war veteran has been a focus of the long-running Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force inquiry into war crimes.

That inquiry's damning findings are likely to be released next week by Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell, but Defence sources who cannot be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly anticipate that no individual soldier will be named to preserve future criminal prosecutions.

However, on Wednesday, the court heard that Mr Roberts-Smith had been issued preliminary findings about his conduct made by Justice Paul Brereton after four years of investigations and hundreds of interviews with SAS insiders.

The former soldier was ordered to hand these findings, which are believed to include hundreds of pages of analysis and evidence, to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, which are being sued by Mr Roberts-Smith over reports he allegedly committed murder on deployments to Afghanistan and that he punched a woman in the face in Canberra.

The documents could include a notice from the inquiry that Mr Roberts-Smith is a "potentially affected person". A "PAP notice" is issued to people who are the subject of an adverse finding or recommendation, and it is designed to give recipients a final chance to respond to allegations against them.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have alleged that Mr Roberts-Smith was involved in multiple unlawful killings as an Australian soldier in Afghanistan, including that of Ali Jan, a farmer who in 2012 in Darwan was kicked off a cliff while handcuffed and then shot dead. Mr Roberts-Smith is also alleged to have ordered soldiers in his command to shoot dead detained Afghan men.

The Australian Federal Police is investigating Mr Jan's death and, the Federal Court has heard, considers Mr Roberts-Smith a suspect. The AFP has interviewed the former soldier and has obtained eyewitness accounts implicating him in war crimes. No charges have been laid.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have also reported an allegation Mr Roberts-Smith punched a woman when the pair left a function at Parliament House in 2018. The woman alleges she and Mr Roberts-Smith were having an affair at the time.

He denies the allegations and says the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a criminal. The news outlets are defending the claim on a truth defence. The defamation trial is to start next year.

The developments in the Federal Court on Wednesday come more than two years after Mr Roberts-Smith issued defamation proceedings. In 2018, he also stated publicly that he had not been contacted by the Brereton inquiry, which has been running since 2016, or an Australian Federal Police war crimes taskforce and that the allegations about his conduct were mere rumours.

Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers last month launched a last-ditch attempt to keep the crucial inquiry documents hidden from lawyers for the news outlets, but Justice Craig Colvin ruled in the Federal Court on Wednesday that the files should be released to the media.

However, not all the documents sought will be released so as not to jeopardise potential criminal proceedings against Mr Roberts-Smith and other soldiers.

Justice Colvin ordered redactions to documents containing information that Mr Roberts-Smith and other soldiers gave to the Inspector-General's inquiry. The judge found there was a "sufficient risk" the soldiers facing potential prosecution could apply for a permanent stay in future criminal proceedings if their evidence to the inquiry was disclosed.

The Inspector-General has finished its investigation into allegations of misconduct by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016 and has delivered it to General Campbell, who has said he will publicly discuss the key findings.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/court-orders-war-hero-ben-roberts-smith-to-hand-over-documents-to-media-20201111-p56dn6.html

#11319746 at 2020-10-28 07:41:25 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

'Blood lust, killings, cover-ups': Report describes Australia's 'Abu Ghraib' moment

Warning: Disturbing content

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Australian special forces soldiers were fuelled by "blood lust" when they tortured and executed prisoners in Afghanistan and then covered up their actions, according to a briefing handed to military chiefs which likened the conduct of some troops to that of American soldiers in Abu Ghraib.

The confidential report was commissioned in 2016 by then chief of army Angus Campbell and is the most detailed and significant internal military dossier to be aired about the special forces' war crimes scandal that took place during the war in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2015. It was the catalyst for the soon-to-be-completed four-year Inspector-General inquiry into war crimes by senior judge Paul Brereton.

The report was delivered to General Campbell, who is now Chief of Defence Force, making him Australia's most senior officer. It says unarmed civilians and prisoners were shot or had their throats slit by some Australian soldiers with a "large number of illegal killings often gloated about".

The report, recently sighted by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, was produced by defence consultant Samantha Crompvoets and contains extracts of "lengthy and candid" interviews with special forces soldiers and whistleblowers.

Insiders with knowledge of the Brereton report, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because its contents have not been released, say his report has confirmed many of the key findings of the 2016 report.

Justice Brereton's findings will identify a small group of special forces soldiers as responsible for murders, and make war crimes referrals to the Australian Federal Police, multiple sources say. Defence has spent months planning its public response to the Brereton inquiry, which is likely to remain largely classified except for a redacted public summary of key findings.

The Crompvoets report records allegations made by multiple special forces insiders that war crimes were normalised among cliques of soldiers, while others who confronted the bad behaviour were marginalised.

The crimes disclosed in interviews include alleged "competition killing and blood lust" and "the inhumane and unnecessary treatment of prisoners". General Campbell was also told of testimony from special forces that some soldiers were "glorifying these crimes" and were involved in the "cover-ups of unlawful killing and other atrocities".

"Comparisons were made to [a massacre of unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War] My Lai and Abu Ghraib," the report states.

Dr Crompvoets, who declined to comment for this story, was told Australian special forces "would take the men and boys to these guest houses and interrogate them, meaning tie them up and torture them" during operations in Afghan villages.

When the soldiers left the village, "the men and boys would be found dead, shot in the head, sometimes blindfolded and throats slit. These are corroborated accounts."

Another account describes allegations that two "14-year-old boys suspected of being Taliban sympathisers had their throats slit ... the bodies were bagged and thrown into a nearby river".

In the report handed to General Campbell, one special forces insider is quoted as describing a cover-up culture in Afghanistan involving some members of the special forces deployed there between 2001 and 2014.

"If they didn't do it, they saw it. And if they didn't see it, they knew about it. If they knew about it, they probably were involved in covering it up and not letting it get back to Canberra ... and to make it even harder, if they didn't know about it, the question will be: why didn't you, because you should have."

The report describes how war crimes allegations made by non-government organisations and SAS and commandos support staff, including interpreters, "were apparently muted by SF (special forces) leadership in Afghanistan" as part of a culture that was described by a special forces insider as "insidious, abhorrent and shameful".

The briefing also points to major failures in Defence that contributed to the scandal, including ineffective leadership inside special forces and the absence of adequate whistleblowing channels that should have enabled soldiers to report war crimes without fear of retribution.

(continued)

#11099672 at 2020-10-16 07:03:22 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

Australian Defence Force orders ban on destruction of evidence from Afghanistan war, as inquiry into alleged war crimes nears end

The Australian Defence Force has ordered a halt on the destruction of any records relating to Australia's two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, more than four years after an inquiry commenced into allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces.

The ABC has obtained an internal Defence bulletin sent last week that places an embargo on the shredding of any records relating to ADF operations in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2015.

The bulletin states the embargo is at the direction of the "Afghanistan Inquiry Task Force".

When asked about the nature of the task force, the existence of which has not been disclosed before now, Defence responded:

"The Afghanistan Inquiry Task Force is a small temporary team established within the Australian Defence Force Headquarters. Its primary role is to prepare Defence to receive and respond to the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry report."

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) has been conducting a wide-ranging but highly secretive inquiry into allegations that Australian special forces committed war crimes - including the murder of civilians - in Afghanistan since early 2016.

The report, compiled by NSW Supreme Court judge and Army Reserve Major General Paul Brereton, is expected to be completed before the end of the year and is widely expected to shine a light on a number of allegedly unlawful killings by Australian SAS troopers and commandos.

Over the last three years, the ABC has reported on a number of incidents in which Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed war crimes by killing unarmed civilians in Afghanistan.

Some incidents have already been referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for investigation and possible prosecution.

After a Four Corners program aired in March showed the killing of an unarmed Afghan man by an SAS soldier, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds quickly referred the incident to the AFP and the soldier was suspended from duty.

Defence records relating to those incidents would potentially be crucial for any police investigation into alleged war crimes.

Those materials could include helmet-cam vision taken on operations, photographs, patrol reports, inquiry reports, drone vision and post-operation debriefs.

When the ABC asked Defence why it had waited four years since the commencement of the IGADF inquiry before ordering a halt to any disposal of relevant records, it replied that the embargo was standard procedure.

"In accordance with these requirements, key operational records relating to planning and conduct become eligible for destruction after 20 years," a Defence spokesperson said.

"As we approach 20 years since Australia commenced operations in Afghanistan, it is the appropriate time to implement an embargo to ensure these records are preserved.

"As required, Defence will apply an embargo to similar operational activities when they approach record management milestones."

The Australian Federal Police declined to comment, referring the ABC to the Defence Department.

The ABC has also learned that the IGADF inquiry has subpoenaed records from the Australian War Memorial (AWM) as part of its investigation into alleged war crimes.

When asked whether it would comment on the subpoena, the war memorial said: "It is not the Australian War Memorial's place to discuss matters before the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force."

Director for the Australian Centre for International Justice, Rawan Arraf, said the timing of the embargo on the destruction of records was concerning.

"It really does raise serious questions about whether the Defence Department has had the proper processes in place; whether it has been complying with its regulations and international guidelines on record keeping and data protection, especially where it's relevant to investigating any potential violations of international humanitarian law or the laws of armed conflict."

Ms Arraf said it was crucial that any material that could be used in potential future trials arising from the inquiry is preserved.

"It's relevant to ensuring that the records of incidents are properly recorded and protected, so that if any of these incidents actually reveal the commission of crimes, the evidence is properly stored and protected to be used in criminal prosecutions, so that it can withstand the rules and procedure of evidence in trials," she said.

"If it hasn't been properly protected, that might impact on future prosecutions, or whether there are any criminal proceedings at all if there is an absence of records, meaning impunity is further entrenched."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-16/adf-issues-embargo-on-destruction-of-afghan-war-evidence/12769318

#11007426 at 2020-10-10 02:24:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

SAS at war: 'I will shoot you in the head'

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The toxic culture within the Australian Army's elite Special Air Service is under renewed scrutiny as it emerges that an internal military investigation into the ­nation's most decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith found that he may have threatened to shoot a fellow soldier in the back of the head after a battle with insurgents in Afghanistan.

Ahead of the imminent ­release of the findings of a four-year war crimes inquiry for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, The Weekend Australian can reveal an SAS captain investigated the alleged bullying incident, finding it was likely Mr Roberts-Smith acted inappropriately in the aftermath of the firefight in 2006 - for which he was later awarded the Medal for Gallantry

According to an internal SAS document, obtained by The Weekend Australian, the investigating captain concluded in 2013 that, despite the seven-year gap between the alleged incident and the complaint, "there is reasonable suspicion that an incident of unacceptable behaviour did occur".

A mediation process was ­ordered after the investigation, consistent with ADF policy that "complaints of unacceptable ­behaviour are resolved at the lowest appropriate level".

The revelation of the SAS captain's findings expose the deep ­divisions that have been percolating within the elite regiment for years - and the split has only widened in recent times as Mr Roberts-Smith has been accused of a series of war crimes, prompting many serving and former members of the unit to take sides.

Mr Roberts-Smith, who is suing Nine Entertainment for defamation over a series of articles alleging he committed multiple unlawful killings while on deployment in Afghanistan, told the 2013 assessment that the claims arising from the 2006 firefight were "fabricated".

The official report of the ­allegations against Mr Roberts-Smith casts a further shadow over the operations of the SAS on the battlefields of Afghanistan, with accusations the force was overused, beset by a poor culture, and inappropriately used as "door kickers" and big-battle soldiers when they were specifically trained for stealth operations.

The upcoming Inspector-General's crimes report by NSW Supreme Court judge Major General Paul Brereton is expected to make further allegations in relation to Mr Roberts-Smith, a ­recipient of the Victoria Cross.

The SAS "quick assessment brief" obtained by The Weekend Australian concerns a complaint by a fellow operator, "Corporal M", who was a trooper in a six-man patrol with then-trooper Roberts-Smith during the June 2, 2006, battle near Chora Pass in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province.

Corporal M, who cannot be identified because he is still serving in the regiment, told the investigator in 2013 that he was "bullied and verbally harassed" by Mr Roberts-Smith, according to the four page "staff-in-confidence" briefing prepared for the regiment's commanding officer.

"During the deployment and post the patrol Cpl Roberts-Smith came up to me and said 'Next time we go out on patrol, if your performance doesn't improve I will shoot you in the back of the head' or words to that effect," the operator said. It is understood Corporal M did not interpret Mr Roberts-Smith's comment as a literal threat to kill, but was nevertheless distressed by it.

Corporal M alleged Mr Roberts-Smith later "demeaned (his) character/ability as an SAS patrol member" during a 2012 squadron conference. He made the official complaint in an August 2013 ­interview - seven years after the alleged incident - amid swirling rumours over the conduct of some SAS members.

The Weekend Australian is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they were made.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the ­investigator: "These allegations are simply not true and have been fabricated ... (Corporal M) has been communicating with other members of the unit to try and concoct stories and statements to verify his allegations."

In his official report, the investigating captain found "there is sufficient evidence to suggest that CPL Roberts-Smith may have verbally insulted (Corporal M)", and that "an act of unacceptable behaviour may have been carried out by CPL Roberts-Smith during that deployment". Mr Roberts-Smith announced several months later he was leaving full-time army service to pursue a career in business. There is no suggestion this was linked to Corporal M's complaint.

(continued)

#10928251 at 2020-10-05 06:06:02 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

>>10892890
Special forces get training in ethics

Special forces soldiers are being put through ethical leadership training and receiving support to "live better" by improving their spiritual outlook and personal ­relationships.

The initiatives are among a raft of cultural reforms put in place by Defence ahead of what are expected to be damning findings involving the army's most revered units in the Brereton war crimes inquiry.

The Australian can reveal that the Australian Defence Force has introduced a special forces military ethics course, developed by the University of NSW, the Australian Graduate School of Management and King's College London University.

The training is aimed at strengthening the ability of Special Air Services and Commando Regiment soldiers to make ­values-based decisions under ­immense pressure.

The "Special Operations - Live Better" initiative encourages the nation's most elite soldiers to focus on all aspects of their lives, including "cognitive, social, spiritual and physical performance".

The program is designed to help special forces operators to deal better with the relentless training, constant readiness and relationship strains that come with their role as the "tip of the spear" in the nation's defence.

A new Defence Special Operations Training and Education Centre and improvements to special forces management and governance have also been put in place to deal with ethics and discipline problems that came to a head during the Afghanistan war.

The initiatives come as the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, introduces an army-wide Ethics Enhancement Plan to help soldiers "understand ethical decision-making in chaotic, uncertain and violent situ­ations that typify conflict, but are applicable every day".

The Chief of Defence, Angus Campbell, has also unveiled a new set of values to apply to all services for the first time, emphasising "service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence".

The army's previous code, "courage, initiative, respect and teamwork", had no explicit dir­ection for soldiers to behave ­ethically.

Former SAS captain and Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said the lack of moral direction in the previous army values statement was "always the missing piece of the puzzle ... You want every soldier first of all to be self-governing - especially in special operations - which is the basis of good order and discipline across the Australian Defence Force.

"You have to enforce that through your values system and build a culture with personal integrity at its centre," he said.

Further reforms to the SAS and Commando units are expected after NSW Supreme Court judge Major General Paul Brereton finalises his war crimes inquiry for the Inspector-General of the ADF. They are likely to include the introduction of a combined special forces training course, which SAS members and veterans are opposed to because theirs is reputedly the toughest.

It's understood the 2020 SAS selection round is under way this month, but it could be the last one in its current form.

General Burr wrote to all Australian soldiers last week to prepare them for the release of the Brereton report, which is expected to contain allegations that a small number of troops carried out multiple war crimes in Afghanistan. He said the ADF's Special Operations Command had been extensively rebuilt, and assured personnel the army would provide welfare support if it were needed.

General Burr says allegations being examined by Justice Brereton are "extremely serious and deeply troubling".

It's understood the Brereton report will focus on eight to 10 serious crimes identified in interviews some 330 witnesses.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/special-forces-get-training-in-ethics/news-story/9fab8ce10eb0869564b833862459a6d7

#10892890 at 2020-10-02 23:41:14 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

>>10889784
Army sharpens focus on ethical soldiering amid war crimes allegations

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The Australian Army was focused intensely on rebuilding the cultural and ethical base of its special forces even before shocking allegations emerged that soldiers carried out multiple war crimes in Afghanistan.

NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton, a major-general in the Army Reserve, has spent four years investigating claims that members of the Special Operations Task Group breached the Laws of Armed Conflict between 2005 and 2016.

Army commander Lieutenant General Rick Burr tells Inquirer he has not yet seen Justice Brereton's report, as the inquiry is independent and ongoing. But as a special forces officer he finds the allegations deeply troubling.

"These are extremely serious allegations and not reflective of who we are, and who we must be as a professional institution. We are all determined to establish the facts so that we can act on them."

Burr has written today to all Australian soldiers explaining why the investigation was launched and telling them to prepare for serious findings. "This is not who we are and not what we stand for," he says.

"I am also concerned about the impact of those findings on those of you who served in Afghanistan and other operations and who served as professionals with pride and integrity. You did the right thing. You and your families should be proud of what you did and be confident to tell that story."

He urges soldiers to reach out if they need help and says that support will be provided by the Army.

Brereton's initial brief from the Inspector-General of the ADF (IGADF) was to ascertain whether there was truth in widespread rumours, but the result was much worse than most imagined.

In February, the inspector-general's annual report revealed that there were 55 separate incidents or issues under inquiry, "predominantly unlawful killings of persons who were non-combatants or were no longer combatants, but also cruel treatment of such persons."

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said weeks ago the investigation was nearing its conclusion and warned that Australians would be dismayed by its findings.

ADF commanders have been working to rectify what they've described as "catastrophic cultural and professional shortfalls" within Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) and "corrosive'' friction between the major special forces units, the Special Air Service Regiment and the commandos. Under the pressure of 20 intense rotations in Afghanistan, the special forces had become isolated from the rest of the Army.

They say this decline has been reversed and a restructured SOCOMD is now positioned to implement the Afghanistan inquiry's findings and to rebuild the trust of government, defence and the public.

Identifying what went wrong on the Afghanistan missions, how deep a distorted warrior ethos went within the SAS, straightening out that ethos and ensuring that what appears to have been an entrenched culture of impunity in key parts of the special forces doesn't emerge again, is a priority for the Army.

Burr, who commanded the SASR in 2003 and 2004, said that since the Army became aware of the allegations it had focused strongly on changing elements of the culture in the special forces and had introduced strong ethics training with the help of outside specialists.

"We're holding ourselves to account," he says. "We asked for this inquiry when we became aware of rumours around these matters. We needed to understand exactly what had happened and an independent inquiry was the only way to gain a clear picture."

Burr says the most important job now facing him and Australian Defence Force chief General Angus Campbell is managing this issue and they will consider the report's findings in detail.

He says he is concerned about the impact the findings would have on the thousands of men and women who have served in Afghanistan and who have behaved impeccably.

"Most people in Afghanistan did the right thing. The veterans and their families need to know that. Waiting for this report is exacting a very heavy toll."

(continued)

#10889784 at 2020-10-02 20:41:51 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

Troops warned of Afghanistan war crimes shock

Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr has written to all Australia's soldiers to prepare them for the release of a report expected to contain shocking allegations that a small number of troops carried out multiple war crimes in Afghanistan.

He sets out to reassure them that the ADF's Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) has been extensively rebuilt and assures personnel that if they need welfare support, the army will provide it.

General Burr, a former commander of the SAS Regiment that is the focus of many of the allegations, says these claims are "extremely serious and deeply troubling".

"They do not reflect who we ­aspire to be. We will act on the findings when they are presented to the Chief of the Defence Force," he says.

More changes to SOCOMD, if they are required, might be significant, he warns.

NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton, a major-general in the Army Reserve, has spent four years investigating claims that Australian special forces breached the Laws of Armed Conflict while on operations in Afghanistan ­between 2005 and 2016.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said recently that the investigation was nearing its conclusion and warned that Australians would be dismayed by its findings.

General Burr tells the soldiers the inquiry is "a serious and sensitive matter" of which there are different levels of understanding across the army. "I want all of Army to understand what the ­inquiry is and what it means," he says.

"We asked for this Inquiry to understand what happened and to determine if there is any substance to the allegations."

General Burr says it is important to note that the inquiry is ­administrative in nature and is not a criminal investigation. It is independent of government and the ADF chain of command to ensure its integrity.

He said the annual report by the Inspector-General of the ADF in February reported that there were 55 separate lines of inquiry at that time. "These concern alleged unlawful killings of people who were non-combatants or were no longer combatants and also cruel treatment of such people," General Burr says.

"As we wait for the report, I ­remain concerned about the impact on those of you who served in Afghanistan and other operations with integrity; reflective of who we are and what we stand for. Please continue to look out for each other and understand your service and commitment is appreciated. It's important that we support each other and get through this together.

"Telling our story to each other, and family, helps keep perspective and shares challenges. Reach out if you need help or someone to talk to, we will support you."

General Burr tells the soldiers that Special Operations Command is now internally aligned and more integrated. "We have strengthened its organisational capacity and increased independent oversight so I can be confident that it is well governed," he says.

"This work is ongoing. Continuing to strengthen the fundamentals of governance, assurance and accountability is essential to implement the Inquiry findings.

"Together, we will be a more capable and effective Army for the future."

General Burr tells the Army that the work of all of its members is inspiring, appreciated and making a difference. "We are an Army for the nation, an Army in the community. We are Australia's Army."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/troops-warned-of-afghanistan-war-crimes-shock/news-story/5107b61a97cdd345f30bb1ffa4e8d3cc

#10794782 at 2020-09-26 06:13:28 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #10 - INFORMATION WARFARE Edition

A warrior culture and the murders that followed: What went wrong with the SAS

1/2

A rogue squad of SAS soldiers is accused of murdering multiple bound or defenceless Afghan detainees, according to insiders who have some knowledge of the landmark Brereton inquiry into war crimes which is due to report within weeks.

The report, by senior judge Paul Brereton, has taken four years to complete and is underpinned by detailed confessions by Commando and Special Air Service Regiment soldiers who have admitted that they participated in or covered up the execution of unarmed prisoners and defenceless Afghans. The killings breach the rules of war and Australia's criminal code.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have also obtained a letter written by Australia's former special forces commander, Jeff Sengelman, who blames the war crimes scandal on a "compromised" chain of command, describes special forces' misdeeds and cover-ups as "shameful and embarrassing", and warns a failure to reform would render the SAS and Commando regiments "strategically irrelevant".

"Many have opined to me that the unacceptable behaviours … were somehow justified by operational imperatives, our sacrifice, and the stressors associated with combat operations," Mr Sengelman wrote in the April 2016 letter.

"While I am not insensitive to how this attitude may have arisen and am the first to acknowledge the exceptional commitment and sacrifice that operational service has required; this is not and never will be a satisfactory justification for deviation from standards or unacceptable behaviour. This cannot be in doubt. If it is for you, then we need to speak."

While the contents of the Brereton report will remain classified after Justice Brereton hands it to Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell in coming weeks, some insiders have received general briefings about its findings and it is believed Justice Brereton will identify a small group of rogue SAS soldiers as responsible for multiple murders.

Justice Brereton is expected to send several war crimes referrals to the Australian Federal Police, sparking new police investigations in a move likely to require the AFP to dramatically boost the resourcing of its existing war crimes investigation teams. Those teams have been conducting two war crimes investigations since June 2018 into Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith after referrals by now former defence chief Mark Binskin. Mr Roberts-Smith denies all wrongdoing and is suing Nine Entertainment, the owner of this masthead, for publishing allegations that he is a war criminal, a key target of the Brereton inquiry and that he punched a woman in a domestic violence incident.

Defence has spent months planning its public response to the independent Brereton inquiry report, according to Defence sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. The sources anticipate a summary of Mr Brereton's findings will be released to the public.

The Age and Herald have interviewed more than a dozen serving and former insiders who have some knowledge of the findings and defence's anticipated response. The Brereton report is expected to expose:

* a rogue group of SAS soldiers, variously consisting of four to five men, executed multiple bound or defenceless prisoners to boost "kill counts" - a personal tally of Afghans shot dead - with no regard for the laws of armed conflict;

* a small number of commandos and SAS soldiers executed prisoners believing more senior soldiers had given tacit support for unlawful killings; and

* poor leadership and oversight, with some officers blind to warning signs that pointed to a collapse in basic morality among small soldier cliques.

The sources said they did not believe senior or mid-level officers had direct knowledge about war crimes. The evidence suggests small cliques of soldiers with relatively low ranks either participated in or witnessed war crimes but covered them up from the chain of command.

(continued)

#10512953 at 2020-09-03 08:43:56 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #9 - Welcome to the Digital Battlefield Edition

>>10512938

2/3

Tension in special forces at boiling point

It has become clear to current and former special forces troops over the last few months that the inquiry conducted by Justice Paul Brereton has turned up significant evidence pointing to alleged war crimes.

There is growing concern among the rank-and-file ADF members that lower-ranked diggers will be held accountable for the alleged crimes and officers and the chain of command will escape scrutiny.

A threat was allegedly made earlier this year against the family of Justice Brereton, the NSW Supreme Court judge and Army Reserve Major General, who is conducting the long-running inquiry on behalf of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force.

Australian Defence Force investigators and police conducted raids earlier this year and are still carrying out investigations in relation to the alleged threat and other materials found during the raids.

Defence said it was not appropriate to discuss whether the State Sanctioned Violence account was linked to the alleged threat made against Justice Brereton's family, as New South Wales police are still investigating the incident.

The people running the Instagram account have reflected these fears, posting last month: "If a member is convicted of a war crime, their [officer commanding] and [commanding officer] at the time of the incident should be stripped of any medals obtained on that deployment and reduced in rank. Then we would see less officers saying 'I support the investigation/people need to be held accountable.'"

The operators of the account also allude to the concerns within the Defence hierarchy about the account and appear to threaten retribution if the ADF brass allow low-level diggers to bear the brunt of any consequences from the current inquiry.

Associate Professor Ben Wadham, a military criminologist from Flinders University, told the ABC that the account reflected well-founded fears about low-ranked diggers being held to account while officers walked free.

"There's a sense there that that when an investigation happens, when civil society and military clash or civil society, state and military clash, that it's the diggers that wear the brunt. It's a fair assessment," Dr Wadham said.

"When I look at the other issues around misconduct in the ADF over the last 30 years, it's always blamed on the bad apple, or the bad orchard, the bad pocket of soldiers.

"We never hear about command taking accountability."

Dr Wadham said the account was a stark pointer to the disconnect that some members of Australia's special forces feel from civil society.

"It doesn't justify or excuse anything, of course, but it's a story that tells us that soldiers see themselves as not being particularly understood by the rest of Australia. It's a job that is unforgiving and that they have to make the rules up as they go to survive," Dr Wadham said.

Meanwhile, a video understood to be circulating on military social media pages uses an edited version of the recently released trailer for the upcoming Batman film to convey a similar message. A logo for "Australian Defence Force Investigative Service" is repeatedly punched in the face by Robert Pattinson's Batman, before a graphic reading "Listen To Your Troops" appears. The video references memes used on accounts associated with the State Sanctioned Violence page.

(continued)

#10491722 at 2020-09-01 08:37:37 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #9 - Welcome to the Digital Battlefield Edition

>>10315185
>>10209217
AFP consider Ben Roberts-Smith a suspect in war crimes, court told

Australian Federal Police have confirmed that they obtained eyewitness accounts implicating Ben Roberts-Smith in war crimes while he was an Australian soldier serving in Afghanistan, the Federal Court has heard.

Extensive media reporting has linked Mr Roberts-Smith to allegations he was directly involved in the death of farmer Ali Jan, an Afghan man who was allegedly kicked off a cliff while handcuffed and then shot dead in the village of Darwan in September 2012.

But barrister Sandy Dawson, SC, representing the news outlets being sued for defamation by Mr Roberts-Smith, on Tuesday revealed for the first time that the AFP had independently obtained witness statements from past and current Australian Defence Force members who contradicted the Victoria Cross recipient's position that Mr Jan's death was a legitimate act in war.

The AFP wrote to Mr Roberts-Smith through his lawyers last December telling him that it had obtained "contemporaneous" reporting from the ADF and had also conducted its own inquiries. The police investigation began in mid-2018 following a referral from the then chief of defence force Mark Binskin, Mr Dawson said.

He said the AFP considers Mr Roberts-Smith a suspect in the war crimes offences of cruel treatment and murder.

Mr Dawson said Mr Roberts-Smith "is a suspect in that investigation into war crimes", and the AFP had interviewed Mr Roberts-Smith about Mr Jan's death.

The revelations came during calls for the release of confidential documents that outline the extent of Mr Roberts-Smith's participation in an inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force into claims of misconduct by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

Mr Roberts-Smith, a former Special Air Service soldier, is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports he allegedly committed murder on deployments to Afghanistan. He denies the allegations and says the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a war criminal.

The media outlets are defending the claim. They allege Mr Roberts-Smith was involved in six unlawful deaths as an Australian soldier on deployments to Afghanistan. Besides Mr Jan's death, the newspapers also allege Mr Roberts-Smith ordered junior soldiers in his command to kill unarmed and detained Afghan men.

The defamation trial is set to be held next year.

Lawyers for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have called for the release of documents including a notice from the IGADF to Mr Roberts-Smith that he is a "potentially affected person (PAP)". A PAP notice allows a recipient to respond to the Inspector-General's findings before they are released.

But lawyers for the ADF are resisting those calls and argue they are immune from public interest. Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyers also oppose the release of the documents to the news outlets.

Barrister Anna Mitchelmore, SC, acting for the Commonwealth, said the release of the documents would potentially undermine the integrity of the inquiry led by Major-General Paul Brereton, who since 2016 has been investigating allegations of misconduct by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

The inquiry was still gathering information and evidence, Ms Mitchelmore said, and the release of confidential documents had the potential to dissuade people from co-operating.

Major-General Brereton's inquiry was held in private and evidence kept confidential so participants could be confident in telling the truth, she said, and so they could speak "with frankness and candour" about incidents "that they may have otherwise kept to themselves".

Lawyers for the news outlets do not know if Mr Roberts-Smith has been issued with a PAP notice, and Ms Mitchelmore said she would neither confirm nor deny whether one had been issued to the former soldier. Mr Dawson said it would be surprising if Mr Roberts-Smith had not been served with one.

Mr Dawson said his clients did not want to imperil Major-General Brereton's inquiry given it had involved hundreds of witnesses and uncovered matters of significance that would warrant the action of law-enforcement agencies.

The documents were sought, he said, so the newspapers could fairly defend themselves during the defamation trial as there was a "legitimate forensic purpose" in having them handed over. If disclosed, the documents were not to be published and would be restricted only to lawyers for the news outlets and the two journalists who wrote the stories.

The court heard that although Major-General Brereton's inquiry was being conducted in private, it was expected the findings would be made public.

Justice Craig Colvin reserved his decision on the release of the documents.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/afp-consider-ben-roberts-smith-a-suspect-in-war-crimes-court-told-20200901-p55rdk.html

#10250950 at 2020-08-11 09:44:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #9 - Welcome to the Digital Battlefield Edition

>>10209217
Defence to probe special forces' cultural and leadership flaws

1/2

The Defence Force has asked an independent expert to examine cultural and leadership failings involving Australia's special forces ahead of a war crimes report on dozens of alleged murders of prisoners and civilians by the elite units in Afghanistan.

The study will look at the ethical standards and command culture of the secretive Special Air Service and Commando regiments from 1999 to the present day, with a focus on their deployment to Afghanistan in the war against al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.

The Australian can reveal that Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell has commissioned former naval officer and Anglican bishop Tom Frame to undertake the study, to be released in mid-2022.

The move comes as the government prepares for the release of a report by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force into at least 55 alleged breaches of the laws of war by Australian personnel during the nation's 13-year on-the-ground commitment in Afghanistan.

The alleged crimes are expected to include the killing of unarmed men and children, and the mistreatment and execution of Taliban prisoners who posed no threat to their captors.

The IGADF report, by NSW Supreme Court judge Major General Paul Brereton, will rock the nation's military establishment and tarnish community perceptions of the nation's most revered warriors.

Professor Frame, a respected military historian with the University of NSW, will examine the wider context of the alleged crimes, including actions of senior ADF leaders and Australia's military strategy in Afghanistan.

His study will be used as a basis for further reforms to the SAS and Commando regiments, and in planning military operations.

One former SAS officer spoken to by The Australian on condition of anonymity said by 2010, special forces operators on the ground in Afghanistan had lost faith in the strategy and "the whole thing was just starting to unravel".

He said mentally ill soldiers were regularly sent on to the battlefield, and commanders allowed a culture where lower ranked soldiers became more influential than their officers. "You've got guys doing six or seven tours. Think about what that does - six or seven tours with heavy combat," the officer said.

He said "wild swings in roles and strategy" also took their toll, along with the intensity of the fighting.

"All these things led to a culture and an environment where I think there was a degree of impunity," he said.

"The only thing that was important to us was our own tribe. We didn't trust anyone. We didn't think necessarily we were being supported by some of the leadership."

Another former SAS officer, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, said the Australian people needed an explanation of the war in Afghanistan that went beyond individual cases of wrongdoing.

"My hope is Professor Frame will be asking tough questions not only about our military institutions, leadership and strategy but also about human nature," he said. "We need to ask 'How do we find ourselves in this dark place?' "

(continued)

#10209217 at 2020-08-07 08:09:11 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #9 - Welcome to the Digital Battlefield Edition

>>10208990
War crimes report will make uncomfortable reading, says Linda Reynolds

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has warned the nation needs to prepare itself for the findings of an upcoming report on dozens of alleged war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, saying it will make for "uncomfortable" reading.

Senator Reynolds said the inquiry led by NSW Supreme Court judge, Major General Paul Brereton, would soon be completed.

While she had not read Justice Brereton's findings, she warned they would be confronting.

"I think that will make some very significant findings, ones that I am certain will make many Australians uncomfortable, and also dismayed at," she said.

"So I think we do need to prepare ourselves for that."

Her comments to an Australian Strategic Policy Institute webinar on Friday follow the appointment of a non-SAS commander to lead the nation's special forces for the first time.

Major General Paul Kenny, a Commando officer who is currently the acting head of the ADF's COVID-19 taskforce, will become the next Special Operations Commander for Australia, with a brief to continue wide-ranging cultural reforms.

He will take over from Major General Adam Findlay, who led Australia's special forces since 2017, amid ongoing fallout over alleged breaches of the laws of war being examined by Justice Brereton.

Senator Reynolds said the army and its special forces regiments had already been doing "a significant amount of self reflection on how some of these reported circumstances could have happened, and what needs to happen structurally and culturally to make sure that these events do not happen again".

"I would stress that I do not for a second think that those issues that will be reported on ... (reflect) on our current serving men and women, both here and overseas, who are doing an extraordinary job for our nation.

"There clearly has been a problem and we wait now to see the outcome of Justice Brereton's report, and CDF will speak more publicly about that after the release of the report."

The Special Operations Command has been responsible since 2003 for the secretive SAS regiment, based in Western Australia, and the Commando regiment, based in NSW.

Justice Brereton's inquiry, conducted for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, is examining at least 55 potential instances of unlawful conduct, the military watchdog has revealed in February.

In its annual report to parliament, the IGADF said 338 witnesses had been interviewed by the Brereton Inquiry up until July 2019.

It said the alleged breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict being examined were "predominantly unlawful killings of persons who were non-combatants or were no longer combatants, but also 'cruel treatment' of such persons".

The inquiry was not focused on decisions made in the "heat of battle", but on "the treatment of persons who were clearly non-combatants or who were no longer combatants", the IGADF said.

Australia's most decorated soldier, Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, is among those caught in the investigation.

He has been publicly accused of committing war crimes while serving with the SAS in ­Afghanistan - allegations he has denied, claiming his anonymous accusers were motivated by professional jealousy and personal vendettas.

He is suing Nine Entertainment over those allegations he says are false.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/war-crimes-report-will-make-uncomfortable-reading-says-linda-reynolds/news-story/d4fccaa8ed3d182f3dd50a56a3291589

#10208990 at 2020-08-07 07:27:19 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #9 - Welcome to the Digital Battlefield Edition

Change of command for Australia's special forces ahead of explosive war crimes report

Australian special forces will for the first time be led by an officer who has not been a member of the famed Special Air Services (SAS) Regiment, in what defence insiders consider an important "cultural shift" for elite soldiers.

The ABC can reveal Major General Paul Kenny, who is currently the acting head of the ADF's COVID-19 taskforce, will become the next Special Operations Commander for Australia (SOCAUST).

The Commando officer is taking over from Major General Adam Findlay, who has overseen Australia's special forces since 2017, as a long-running inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan nears completion.

Since 2003, the Special Operations Command has been responsible for the highly secretive SAS regiment and their colleagues in the Commando regiments, as well as other specialised support units.

Senior military figures said the appointment of Major General Kenny as SOCAUST came at a crucial time for special forces, as they undertake major cultural reforms prompted by incidents of bad behaviour, particularly by the SAS, during the Afghanistan war.

"He is not caught up in the echo chamber and conflicts of interest that came with being too close to the SAS Regiment in the past," one special forces member told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"[Major General] Kenny is in my view very professional and a great choice."

Since May 2016, New South Wales Justice Paul Brereton has been assisting the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) in examining the conduct of special forces personnel during the war in Afghanistan.

Justice Brereton's highly anticipated report is believed to be almost completed, with military insiders expecting his findings to be handed to the Chief of Defence in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Defence declined to say whether it had considered extending Major General Findlay's term until after the IGADF process is completed.

"Major General Findlay's tenure as Special Operations Commander of Australia concludes at the end of 2020," a defence spokesperson told the ABC.

"His departure from the SOCAUST role is reflective of the normal posting routine in the ADF.

"The IGADF inquiry process has not had bearing on the posting process associated with the SOCAUST position."

Major General Findlay has won praise for initiating cultural reforms within special forces, including delivering a blistering address to members of the SAS regiment earlier this year over "poor moral leadership".

Earlier this year, the IGADF revealed investigators were looking into 55 separate incidents of alleged breaches of the rules of war in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

Last month, the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw warned that prosecutions of possible Australian war crimes could take up to a decade to complete.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-07/sas-new-commander-appointed-Paul-kenny/12531944

#8543343 at 2020-03-24 06:38:24 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #7 - FIRE & FURY Edition

>>8486290
War hero Ben Roberts-Smith interviewed by police over alleged killing

The Australian Federal Police has interviewed former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith over allegations he kicked an Afghan prisoner off a cliff in a serious development in the long-running saga involving Australia's most decorated Afghan veteran.

Legal sources confirmed that the federal police recently requested Mr Roberts-Smith to attend a formal interview to respond to allegations made by special forces insiders that he kicked a detainee off a cliff in September 2012.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say the Victoria Cross recipient recently attended a police interview in Canberra and, as is standard practice, was cautioned that what he said could be used against him if he was ever criminally prosecuted. While the AFP does not comment on investigations, requesting to interview a subject normally comes near the end of an exhaustive probe and after critical witness statements have been collected.

About 90 minutes after Mr Roberts-Smith's lawyer, Mark O'Brien, was contacted by The Age and Herald for comment, The Australian's defence writer Paul Maley quoted Mr Roberts-Smith confirming the police interview had taken place, and claiming he had volunteered for it.

In September, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that an AFP taskforce was investigating Mr Roberts-Smith over allegations he kicked a handcuffed and innocent detainee, Ali Jan, off a cliff in the village of Darwan in September 2012. The Darwan taskforce has obtained co-operation from SAS witnesses and support staff willing to testify on oath against the decorated soldier. A second police investigation is looking into allegations Mr Roberts-Smith is implicated in the summary execution of a man at a compound in southern Afghanistan in April 2009.

The Age and Herald are not suggesting Mr Roberts-Smith has been found guilty of any war crime, only that he is the subject of police probes sparked by allegations made by his SAS colleagues.

Mr Roberts-Smith is one of the most decorated veterans to have served with coalition forces in Afghanistan, has stridently denied all wrongdoing and has launched a defamation case against The Age and Herald for first uncovering and reporting the allegations made about him by his fellow soldiers.

While the AFP's focus has for many months been on him, it is almost certainly going to open up a third probe into a different soldier from another SAS squadron. This follows the broadcast on the ABC's Four Corners program of footage of an SAS 3 squadron soldier shooting an apparently unarmed and subdued Afghan in May 2012. That soldier was still active until last week, when he was stood down in the wake of that footage being aired.

Many more AFP probes could follow depending on the findings of a long-running military Inspector-General's inquiry into war crimes.

The organisation revealed in its recent annual report that Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Paul Brereton had, over four years, been probing multiple alleged executions involving SAS and Commandos.

Several of these cases are those reported over the last two years by The Age and Herald, according to defence personnel.

They include a case involving the confession of a Commando who admitted to personally executing an Afghan prisoner and also witnessing other executions. Another case involves claims made in 2019 by SAS medic Dusty Miller that an injured prisoner was taken from his care and allegedly executed in March 2012.

Defence sources said that for the past two years, the Inspector-General has focused on allegations of war crimes involved the SAS's 2 squadron. Mr Roberts-Smith is one of the 2 squadron members under investigation.

The release of the vision on ABC's Four Corners of an Afghan man being shot has spurred fresh inquires into the conduct of 3 squadron as well, according to defence sources. This has the potential to delay the imminent release of the Brereton report, despite increasing political pressure for the historic and likely damning inquiry to be completed.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/war-hero-ben-roberts-smith-interviewed-by-police-over-alleged-killing-20200323-p54cze.html