SYDNEY: Australia is investigating more than 50 alleged war crimes by the country’s special forces in Afghanistan, including the killing of civilians and prisoners, the military watchdog said Tuesday.
An annual report by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defense Force said 55 separate incidents were being investigated as part of a years-long probe into allegations Australian soldiers committed war crimes while serving in Afghanistan.
These relate mainly to unlawful killings of “persons who were non-combatants or were no longer combatants” as well as “cruel treatment” of such persons, the report said.
“The inquiry is not focused on decisions made during the ‘heat of battle’,” it added.
It is also considering “cultural, psychological, operational and organizational factors” surrounding the alleged incidents.
The probe was launched in 2016 in response to what the watchdog called “rumors” of “very serious wrongdoing” over more than a decade by members of Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
Elite Australian commandos were deployed alongside US and allied forces in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks. NATO and its allies pulled combat forces from the country in 2014.
The ongoing inquiry, led by judge Paul Brereton, has called 338 witnesses and is now “approaching the final stages of evidence-taking.”
Defense Minister Linda Reynolds told Sky News she expected the watchdog would provide a report to the country’s defense chief within months and he would “decide on appropriate further actions.”
At least four investigations into alleged abuses by Australian special forces in Afghanistan are currently under way.
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Australian special forces probed for alleged Afghan war crimes
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Australian special forces probed for alleged Afghan war crimes
- 55 separate incidents being investigated as part of a years-long probe into war crime allegations
- Elite Australian commandos were deployed alongside US and allied forces in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks
Greenland does not need US hospital ship: Danish minister
- Trump on Saturday posted on his social media platform Truth Social that “we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick
- In Greenland as in Denmark access to health care is free
COPENHAGEN: Greenland does not need medical assistance from other countries, Denmark’s defense minister said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump claimed he was sending a hospital ship to the autonomous Danish territory that he covets.
“The Greenlandic population receives the health care it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark. So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special health care initiative in Greenland,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR.
In Greenland as in Denmark access to health care is free. There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the territory.
The Greenlandic local government signed an agreement with Copenhagen in early February to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.
Trump on Saturday posted on his social media platform Truth Social that “we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.”
“It’s on the way!!!” he added.
Trump has said the US must control Greenland to ensure its security, though he has backed off earlier threats to seize it after striking a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
Lund Poulsen told DR he was not aware of the hospital ship’s possible arrival.
“Trump is constantly tweeting about Greenland. So this is undoubtedly an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic Command announced that it had evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after the sailor requested urgent medical attention.
“The Greenlandic population receives the health care it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark. So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special health care initiative in Greenland,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR.
In Greenland as in Denmark access to health care is free. There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the territory.
The Greenlandic local government signed an agreement with Copenhagen in early February to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.
Trump on Saturday posted on his social media platform Truth Social that “we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.”
“It’s on the way!!!” he added.
Trump has said the US must control Greenland to ensure its security, though he has backed off earlier threats to seize it after striking a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
Lund Poulsen told DR he was not aware of the hospital ship’s possible arrival.
“Trump is constantly tweeting about Greenland. So this is undoubtedly an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic Command announced that it had evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after the sailor requested urgent medical attention.
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