---
title: "Australia arrests former soldier for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan"
description: "SYDNEY, March 20 (Reuters) - Australian authorities said on Monday they had arrested a former soldier for allegedly killing an Afghanistan civilian while deployed with the country's defence force there, in a historic change that renews focus on Canberra's record in the conflict."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "War crimes"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-03-20-australia-arrests-former-soldier-for-alleged-war-crimes-in-afghanistan/"
published: "2023-03-20T14:30:32"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 188
---

# Australia arrests former soldier for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan

> SYDNEY, March 20 (Reuters) - Australian authorities said on Monday they had arrested a former soldier for allegedly killing an Afghanistan civilian while deployed with the country's defence force there, in a historic change that renews focus on Canberra's record in the conflict.

By Reuters · Published 20 March 2023, 16:30 SAST

## Key points
- After a four-year investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, an Australian court is set to hear the first case of its kind against a serving or former member of their defence force - with life in jail being the maximum penalty. Australia's involvement in the NATO-led international force that trained Afghan security forces and fought the Taliban for two decades has resulted in 41 deaths and a lasting legacy of trauma.
- An Australian man is expected to be charged with war crime murder in court, the first of its kind under Australian law.
- In 2020, a four-year investigation found that Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan.
- 19 current and former members of Australia's military were referred to a special investigator to determine if there was sufficient evidence for prosecution.
- Over 39,000 Australian troops served in Afghanistan and 41 were killed.

## Content

The 41-year-old man is expected to be charged in an Australian court with one count of war crime murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in jail, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

It is the first time such a charge will be faced by a serving or former member of the defence force under Australian law, it added.

A four-year investigation in 2020 found that Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan, with senior commandos reportedly forcing junior soldiers to kill defenceless captives in order to "blood" them for combat.

Following the recommendations of the report, 19 current and former members of Australia's military were then referred to a special investigator to determine if there was sufficient evidence to prosecute.

Australia was part of a NATO-led international force that trained Afghan security forces and fought the Taliban for two decades after Western-backed forces ousted the Islamist militants from power in 2001.

More than 39,000 Australian troops served in Afghanistan and 41 were killed.

By Renju Jose and Alasdair Pal

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)