Investigation into potential war crimes may reveal a ‘sick culture’ within the SAS
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In February, the ADF announced the investigation of 55 potential war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, an inquiry which Liberal MP Andrew Hastie saysmay have been “initiated by SAS soldiers”.
One of these incidents involved the shooting of an unarmed man in Afghanistan during a search for a Taliban bomber by SAS soldiers which an earlier ADF inquiry concluded was an act of self-defence.
According to Sky News host Andrew Bolt, the investigation of such a large number of potential war crimes indicates the possibility of a “sick culture” present within the ADF.
Mr Hastie said “on the face of it I think there is a case to be answered” and he described the footage of the shooting as “disturbing”.
Mr Hastie told Sky News host Andrew Bolt he wanted “people to have confidence there is a process underway”.
“We do uphold the rule of law, we have a western culture and at the heart of that is the 'just war tradition' and we have certain standards that we apply off the battlefield and on the battlefield”.
He added that this whole process “was initiated by SAS soldiers who jealously protect the reputation of the regiment and the values they hold dear which are the ANZAC values of selflessness, sacrifice and protecting the weak and the innocent”.
Image: News Corp Australia
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