Uruzgan Residents: Perpetrators of Australian War Crimes Must Be Prosecuted

A number of residents in Uruzgan province who have been affected by alleged war crimes committed by Australian forces are calling for justice.

Some residents claim that there is hardly a single house in the province that has not been impacted by the actions of Australian forces. They insist that all Australian personnel involved in war crimes must be brought to trial.

Sharafuddin, an elderly man from the village of “Abbas Ali” in the Weshan Nawa valley of Tarinkot, said that Australian forces bombed three houses belonging to his friends in the village, killing many innocent women and children.

He said: “A mine hit their house and they burned.”

Hamidullah, another victim, said: “Our house was bombed and we were displaced. Why are they not paying compensation?”

Some victims of Australian military operations in Uruzgan are now suffering from severe psychological illnesses. They are also calling on international human rights organizations to bring all Australian forces involved in the killing of civilians in the province to justice.

Sayed Jan added: “All of them must be prosecuted and handed over to the law.”

Local officials in Uruzgan say that Australian forces committed serious crimes against civilians in both the provincial center and districts, and that they should be prosecuted and compensation should be paid to the victims’ families.

Bilal Uruzgani, spokesperson for the provincial police command, said: “Australian forces have brought shame to human history in Uruzgan; they martyred people through beatings and even with sticks.”

Meanwhile, Ben Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated Australian soldier, has been charged following his arrest over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. He faces five counts related to the murder of five civilians between 2009 and 2012, each of which could carry a sentence of life imprisonment.