Australian War Hero Arrested for Allegedly Killing Unarmed Afghan Civilians

According to Reuters and AFP reports, police only revealed that the arrested man was a 47-year-old former Australian Defence Force (ADF) member; Australian media identified the man as Ben Roberts-Smith, who was arrested at Sydney Airport this morning. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett stated that the arrested man will be charged with the murder of five people in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. As the victims were not involved in hostile actions at the time of their deaths, prosecutors are believed to allege that these victims were either shot by the defendant himself or by his subordinates under his orders. She said the defendant will face five charges of 'war crime murder.' Each charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Roberts-Smith was awarded multiple military honors, including the Victoria Cross, Australia's highest military honor, for his six tours of duty in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012, and was once hailed as a national hero. However, his reputation plummeted after a series of reports in 2018 first linked him to incidents of Australian soldiers killing unarmed prisoners of war in Afghanistan. 'The Age' and 'The Sydney Morning Herald,' after extensive interviews, revealed a pattern of alleged hidden crimes and misconduct by Roberts-Smith beneath his heroic image. The reports alleged that Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered his subordinates to shoot him. He was also accused of participating in shooting an amputee and using the man's prosthetic leg as a drinking vessel with his comrades. These reports ultimately prompted Australian police to investigate war crime allegations against the country's soldiers. Over the past 20 years, Australia has sent 39,000 soldiers to Afghanistan to participate in US and NATO-led operations to combat armed groups such as the Taliban. As soldiers returned home, their conduct came under increasing judicial scrutiny. A 2020 military inquiry report found that special forces personnel had 'unlawfully killed' 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners of war, revealing allegations of 'on-the-spot executions,' kill competitions, and torture by Australian troops. Under pressure from various parties, the Australian government appointed a special investigator to thoroughly investigate whether active and retired military personnel should face criminal prosecution. Today's arrest by Australian police is part of the progress of this investigation. (Compiler: Tsai Chia-min)1150407