A former soldier has broken his silence on alleged war crimes with the bombshell admission Australian troops stepped over the line while fighting in Afghanistan.
A long running inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force is investigating allegations against special forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016.
The military watchdog, with the assistance of New South Wales Justice Paul Brereton is examining at least 55 separate allegations of unlawful conduct by Australian soldiers, including claims they killed unarmed Afghani men and children.
An unnamed soldier has broken ranks with bombshell revelations his colleagues ‘stepped over the line’ while serving in Afghanistan as he expressed his own remorse.
A former soldier (pictured) has broken his silence on alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan, ahead of finding from a four year inquiry being handed down
‘I could have done something. I didn’t do it,’ he says in a preview for Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes.
‘And I have to live with that for the rest of my life.’
Still psychologically affected, the soldier broke ranks to allege there was a serious breach of ethics while he served in Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of unarmed Afghanis.
‘Part of the Geneva convention is that whether it’s a combatant or non combatant, he’s under my care. Period,’ the soldier said.
‘What we did and what happened there was very wrong.’
The preview shows the soldier breaking down after coming face to face with the shattered family of an Afghani man killed, who demanded answers.
‘Why did they kill our father? What was his crime,’ the son asked.
‘I could have done something. I didn’t do it,’ the unnamed soldier (pictured) told 60 Minutes
Justice Paul Brereton recently warned the likelihood the inquiry findings will cause ‘distress’ for some soldiers involved ‘cannot be completely avoided.’
‘However, I can confirm that before the final report is delivered, persons who are potentially the subject of any adverse finding or recommendation will be afforded procedural fairness,’ he wrote in the letter obtained by the ABC.
‘From the outset, the Inquiry has been conscious of the potential for its proceedings to have an impact on the mental health of witnesses [and others who may be affected or involved].
In the letter to RSL national president Major General Greg Melick and SAS Association President Lieutenant Colonel Peter Fitzpatrick, Justice Brereton said the inquiry team had ensured psychological support was provided to soldiers ahead of the findings, which are due to be handed down shortly.
This Afghani man demanded answers after his father was allegedly killed by Australian soldiers
However another media report earlier this month revealed findings are unlikely to allege criminal wrongdoing by individual soldiers.
Senior barriers believe the findings will instead focus on actual circumstances surrounding particular incidents and which ones need criminal investigation.
‘I can’t emphasise this enough, his job is a fact-finding exercise,’ one barrister told The Australian.
It’s understood special forces troops embroiled in the inquiry have already been told they have been named as ‘potential persons of interest’.
Another barrister said troops who received notices were ‘potentially in trouble’ but believed it wouldn’t be taken any further than that.
‘You’re being told, formally by legal notice, that there is the potential for a finding to be made against you and are invited to respond as to why such a finding should not be made against you,’ he told the publication.
The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force is investigating at least 55 separate allegations of unlawful conduct by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. Pictured are Australian Special Operations Task Group Soldiers in Afghanistan in 2013