Australian Military Investigated For Afghan War Crimes

Rumours have emerged regarding possible war crimes carried out by Australian troops in Afghanistan.

The Australian military watchdog has announced that it will be probing the alleged crimes, and has issued a public plea for information.

In July, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported an alleged cover-up of the killing of an Afghan boy.

It also revealed that there had been hundreds of pages of leaked Defence Force documents regarding the country's special forces operations.

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force released a statement on Friday in which he announced that an inquiry "into rumors of possible breaches of the Laws of Armed Conflict" between 2005 and 2016 was underway.

The statement read:

"The inquiry would like anyone who has information regarding possible breaches of the Laws of Armed Conflict by Australian forces in Afghanistan, or rumours of them, to contact the inquiry."

Although Australia is not a member of NATO, it is a firm US ally and a member of the Commonwealth. The country has had troops stationed in Afghanistan since 2002.

It currently has around 300 troops deployed, having sent an additional 30 back in May.

Cover image a library photo of Australian special forces in Afghanistan, courtesy of Corporal Raymond Vance.