United States warned Australia that alleged war crimes could derail military ... trends now
View
comments
The United States raised concerns with Australia that alleged war crimes by special forces troops in Afghanistan could derail joint military operations.
The chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell, made the revelation during a hearing of the Senate's foreign affairs, defence and trade committee on Wednesday.
He revealed he had received a letter from the US attache in Canberra in March 2021 warning that the findings in the Brereton war crimes report could trigger a US law known as the 'Leahy Law'.
The law prevents US armed forces from working with units linked to 'gross human rights violations'.
The Brereton report found 'credible' evidence that 25 current or former Australian SAS soldiers unlawfully killed 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2005 and 2016.
The US government warned that the country's military may not work with Australia's special forces unit due to allegations of war crimes (pictured, body camera footage from Australian SAS forces in Afghanistan)
General Campbell received the letter from the US about four months after the Brereton report was released.
'I received a letter from the defence attache of the United States Armed
