A report published on Thursday found Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan, with senior commandos forcing junior soldiers to kill defenceless captives in order to "blood" them for combat. The report recommended referring 19 current and former soldiers for potential prosecution, in a development that prompted anguish in Australia which usually honours its military history with fervour. "If the accusations that he's previously made are proven right, he will feel vindicated whatever the penalty," Davis said by telephone. Dusty Miller, a special forces medic who testified at the inquiry, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that hearing the country's defence chief publicly confirm his claims was "complete vindication". Top lawmakers walked a delicate line of condemning the allegations of the report and supporting the possibility of prosecutions, while expressing solidarity with the country's armed forces.

Source: bd News24 November 20, 2020 01:30 UTC