Australia charges ex‑soldier with 5 war‑crime murders in Afghanistan

Key Points:

• Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living veteran, was arrested and charged with five counts of war crime murder related to the killing of unarmed Afghans during his service from 2009 to 2012.
• The charges allege the victims were detained, unarmed, and under Australian Defense Force control when they were killed, either by Roberts-Smith or on his orders.
• Roberts-Smith previously faced similar allegations in a 2023 civil court ruling, which found he likely unlawfully killed four noncombatants, but the new criminal charges require proof beyond reasonable doubt.
• This case marks only the second time an Australian Afghanistan veteran has been charged with war crimes, following former SAS soldier Oliver Schulz, who pleaded not guilty to a similar charge.
• The Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator have been investigating numerous war crime allegations, with most cases not resulting in charges; authorities emphasized these incidents involve a small minority of Australian Defence Force members.