Australia forming investigative agency to prosecute troops for war crimes in Afghanistan

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA: On Thursday, the Australian government announced the formation of a new investigative agency to build criminal cases against special forces suspected of committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

The Office of the Special Investigator will be formed after an extensive four-year investigation into allegations surrounding the behavior and conduct of soldiers in the Special Air Service and Commando Regiments in Afghanistan from 2005 till 2016.

Chief of the Australian Defense Forces Gen. Angus Campbell will make public a redacted report on the aforementioned four-year investigation in the coming week. In a statement to the press, Prime Minister Scott Morrison added that the new agency would be headed by a retired judge or a senior criminal lawyer, as the workload would "seriously overwhelm" existing police resources.

“This report will be difficult news and all of our partners must be assured and those around the world who rightly hold the Australian Defense Forces in high regard,” Morrison stated to the press. Prosecuting the alleged Australian war criminals could be expected to take years, as the Prime Minister added that "These are incredibly complex events involving actions and conduct in another country, in a war".

Around 39,000 Australians served in Afghanistan since the onset of the war in 2001, and 41 were killed in the process.