Defence Minister refers SAS soldier to Federal Police over apparent execution of Afghan civilian
Friday, 20 March 2020
The Minister is referring to this ABC news/4 Corners story featuring helmet-cam video recordings made on deployment in Afghanistan.
Extraordinary footage captured on the helmet camera of an Australian soldier in Afghanistan could result in charges of war crimes.
Key points:
- The video shows the SAS soldier shooting the man dead at close range
- The video is at odds with what soldiers told investigators, who ruled the killing was self-defence
- Another SAS soldier who served in the same squadron has described it as a "straight-up execution"
Four Corners has obtained video which shows a Special Air Service (SAS) operator shooting an unarmed Afghan man three times in the head and chest while he cowers on the ground.
His death took place within three minutes of the soldiers arriving in the village.
An Australian Defence Force (ADF) investigation later ruled the killing was justified because it was in self-defence.
The killing was one of a series of cases uncovered by Four Corners that may constitute war crimes.
A former member of the same SAS squadron, who was on the 2012 deployment to Afghanistan and has been shown the vision, described the killing to Four Corners as a "straight-up execution".
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, IMAGES AND CONFRONTING VIDEO, INCLUDING FOOTAGE OF A SHOOTING, WHICH MAY DISTRESS SOME READERS.
The deadly three minutes
The video, taken by the helmet camera of the patrol's dog handler, shows the SAS patrol disembarking from one of two Black Hawk helicopters before fanning out near the village of Deh Jawz-e Hasanzai.
It is a bright day in May 2012, and 3 Squadron SAS is looking for an insurgent bombmaker.