MOSCOW, Dec 1-RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. "The most shameful and dishonorable episode in the history of our army" — this is how major General of the Australian defense Forces Paul Brereton assessed the actions of his special forces in Afghanistan. The scandal involving members of the elite SASR (Special Air Service Regiment) unit has not subsided for the second week. As the military investigation found, from 2005 to 2016, special forces brutally killed several dozen Afghan civilians-for the sake of the so-called blood baptism rite. About the" exploits " of the Australian paratroopers - in the material RIA Novosti.
"No weapons found"
According to the findings of the Brereton Commission, the special forces shot unarmed Afghans — those who could not resist. And they usually did not kill immediately: before that, they were humiliated and tortured in every possible way.
So, one of the victims of the SASR detachment was a young resident of Uruzgan province, Mirza Khan. He was killed without trial four days before the wedding, right in front of his family.
Shaesta Khan, brother of Mirza Khan, who was killed in Uruzgan province
Image source: © RIA Novosti
"The Australians landed on a hill near our house," shaesta Khan, the brother of the deceased, told Sputnik Afghanistan. "They kicked down the door and broke in, making a mess. Mirza was shot down, then the dog was set on fire. She clawed at her brother's throat. When they got tired of this "fun", the military dragged the dog away and shot Mirza several times in the head and shoulders. Then they carried the body out and covered it with a Cape. When they returned, they searched our house, but found nothing. We don't know why they killed my brother. Maybe they thought we were Taliban, but we didn't have any guns or ammunition at home. What is our fault? They trashed our entire house. Did they have any disagreements with their brother before this incident? No! We didn't even know them, we had no idea what kind of people they were."
According to the victim's mother Maryam, she and Shaesta Khan almost went mad from the experience. The third son and daughter have also been out of it ever since.
Maryam, mother of Mirza Khan, who was killed in Uruzgan province
Image source: © RIA Novosti
"I was in the house with my little grandchildren," cries Maryam. - The military was high. Armed. I asked them not to touch my son, but they killed him. He was wearing a vest, they pulled it off, took his phone, and shot him in the chin. Then they flew away. I think about Mirza Khan all the time. My son really wanted to get married, waiting for the wedding day. All I have left is the memory of him and his bride."
According to local reports, on the same day, the Australians killed another one-Haji Sardar. He was shot on the street as they were leaving the village. People who knew the deceased personally claim that he had nothing in common with the Taliban or al-Qaeda.
Dozens killed
SASR fighters have been fighting in Afghanistan since the fall of 2001-in fact, since the very beginning of the American coalition's operation against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Their main task is intelligence and surveillance. Australian special forces make long raids deep into the territory controlled by the militants, transmit the coordinates of their positions to the headquarters, and take "languages".
Soldiers and officers of the regiment have repeatedly demonstrated their personal courage in these sorties, and many have received high state awards for their trip to Afghanistan. Their combat exploits were widely covered by the Australian media, but the other side of their activities, which was striking with cruelty and cynicism, remained hidden from the public for a long time.
Australian special forces patrol in Afghanistan
Image source: CC BY 2.0 / NATO International Security Assistance Force Public Affairs /
A few days ago, a military investigation charged 32 SASR soldiers who returned from Afghanistan with mass murder. They are suspected of shooting 39 civilians between 2009 and 2016. According to investigators, 25 commandos were directly killed. The rest are held in the case as accomplices and witnesses who did not report the crime in time. They will have to give evidence within two weeks.
General Brereton's report, which has been investigating war crimes since 2016, is based on the testimony of more than 400 people. Their words are confirmed by 20 thousand documents and 25 thousand photos, which were studied by specialists. However, in the version of the document prepared for the General public, some facts were omitted "for reasons of security, confidentiality and legality".
However, and from the fact that made public, to put it mildly, not in itself. So, in 2012, during a patrol, the SASR squad stopped two 14-year-olds. They were suspected of links to the Taliban and thoroughly searched, but nothing was found prohibited. The commander, making sure that no one was nearby, ordered his subordinates to deal with the detainees and get rid of the bodies. The teenagers ' throats were cut, the corpses were Packed in bags and thrown into the river.
The bloody "baptism"
The brutality of the SASR Brereton commandos is partly explained by their desire to avenge their comrades who died in battle. In 2011-2012, the Australian contingent suffered the greatest losses in Afghanistan — 18 killed. However, the massacre of civilians may have had other motives.
So, according to the General, the special forces have a special "military tradition" that prescribes soldiers who first arrive in a war zone to undergo the rite of" baptism "and"let first blood". And you don't have to wait for a fight.
Australian special forces during the exercise
Image source: © AFP 2020 / Darren Hilder
The patrols simply detained one or more Afghans. Who to live, and who to die painfully, was decided by the unit commander. After the killings, the military threw weapons at the corpses and took several pictures to document the "destruction of dangerous militants"in a report for the command.
The report notes that the special forces did not disdain to kill even women and small children. Such brutality and cynicism hit the military itself with a boomerang. Since the beginning of 2020, 57 Australian soldiers and officers who took part in combat operations in Afghanistan have committed suicide. Nine in the last month alone.
The publication of the Brereton report had a bombshell effect in Australia. Human rights activists demand to condemn the perpetrators as harshly as possible, public figures insist on stricter psychological checks when selecting candidates for special forces. And the Prime Minister and the country's top military command apologized to the Afghans. The results of the trials of war criminals will show how sincere they are.
It is worth noting that SASR fighters have repeatedly become anti-heroes of the news even before the report was published. So, in April 2013, a loud scandal broke out when a special forces soldier with the rank of corporal cut off the hands of three dead militants in order to get their fingerprints. He was suspended from the service. And in September 2012 several members of spetsnaz have shot unarmed captured rebels. No one was ever held responsible for this.
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