Investigating senior officers, and where appropriate, taking action against them, is an important part of restoring the reputation of the Australian military abroad.
Scott Morrison has always put the military on an extremely high pedestal. When some of those on that pedestal are found to have done appalling things, the shock is doubly great.
This might appear a radical suggestion, but military units have been moved, shuffled, re-branded, disbanded and reactivated frequently throughout Australia’s history.
In February, the US signed an accord with the Taliban to end the Afghanistan War. Now Taliban insurgents are meeting with the Afghan government – but peace remains an uncertain outcome.
An Afghan soldier convicted of murdering three Australian soldiers is among six prisoners who could be released as part of a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
In February, the US signed an historic accord with the Taliban to end the Afghanistan War. Now violence in the country is up and peace talks with the government are delayed yet again.
Global terrorism has been relatively quiet as the world is consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it is still there, unabated, and we need to do more to stop it.
When an atrocity is committed in war — and the army fails to respond — it is due to a moral failure of command. It’s time for the army to show the same courage as those veterans who have spoken out.
Decades of armed conflict in Afghanistan has destroyed health-care infrastructure and the reconstruction efforts have failed to provide accessible healthcare, exacerbating the COVID-19 crisis.
Criminal gangs, insurgents and terrorist groups seek to protect the people in the areas they govern, when a central government’s power is weak or nonexistent.
There are many hurdles to a successful prosecution of individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. But trying to seek justice is not a futile exercise.