Australian soldier arrested over alleged war crimes

Key Points:

• Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most-decorated living soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, has been arrested and charged with five counts of murder related to alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.
• A 2023 defamation judgment found Roberts-Smith had killed several unarmed Afghans, marking the first court examination of war crime claims against Australian forces; he denies all wrongdoing and maintains the allegations are unfounded.
• The Australian Federal Police stated the charges involve Roberts-Smith either personally shooting or ordering subordinate Australian Defence Force members to kill unarmed detainees.
• These allegations stem from the 2020 Brereton Report, which uncovered credible evidence of unlawful killings by elite Australian soldiers in Afghanistan and led to the establishment of the Office of the Special Investigator, which has charged only one other individual so far.
• Despite the serious accusations, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett emphasized that misconduct was limited to a small segment of the Australian Defence Force, with the majority of personnel maintaining their honor and service to the country.