Australian SAS officers knew about unlawful ‘throwdowns’ on dead Afghans, report says
Summary
A newly published summary of a 2021 Australian Defence Force investigation says some SAS officers knew soldiers were planting weapons on dead Afghans to make them appear to be combatants, but failed to act. The report describes weakened command and discipline in the regiment, while linking the problems to factors including secrecy, repeated deployments and officers’ reluctance to challenge senior non-commissioned officers.Key Facts
- The report was commissioned in 2021 by then defence force chief Angus Campbell and examined the culture of the special operations command.
- The investigation found that officers who knew of misconduct, including the use of throwdowns, did not take effective steps to investigate or stop it.
- The report said the Brereton Inquiry, published in 2020, found credible information that Australian special forces personnel murdered 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners.
- The Brereton Inquiry largely attributed the criminal conduct it identified to patrol commanders, who are usually corporals or sergeants.
- The investigation said the SAS developed an uncontrolled “warrior” ethos and that repeated dangerous deployments may have contributed to moral injury and impaired decision-making.
- The report described junior officers as effectively subservient to senior non-commissioned officers, a dynamic it called “learned helplessness.”
- It said allowing SAS soldiers to drink alcohol in Afghanistan despite orders imposed on others signaled that rules did not apply to them.
- The report said false battlefield reports, written with language focused on rules of engagement, helped conceal misconduct.
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