Australian authorities arrested a former soldier today, Monday, after he was accused of killing an Afghan civilian while deployed there as part of the Australian Defense Force.
In this context, the Australian Federal Police confirmed that the man, aged 41, is expected to be tried in an Australian court on one count of war crimes, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
After a four-year investigation, it was concluded in 2020 that Australian forces killed 39 prisoners and unarmed civilians in Afghanistan. The report stated that some senior special forces soldiers forced new recruits to kill defenseless captives as part of their combat training.
Based on the recommendations in the report, 19 members of the Australian Army were referred to a special investigation body to determine if there was sufficient evidence for prosecution.
