Leaders from two of Australia’s largest Afghan community organisations have expressed disbelief over the release of a report which found .
The report includes allegations that senior commander
It recommended referring 19 current and former soldiers for potential prosecution, in a development that prompted anguish and fervent commentary in Australia.
The report would likely leave a profound imprint on the Afghan community in Australia for a considerable period of time, according to the spokesperson of the Afghan Islamic Centre and Omar Farooq Mosque in Victoria, Rokhan Akbar.
“The Afghans in Australia were really shocked by the contents of the reports, the killing of innocent people and the killing of non-combatants in Afghanistan,” he told SBS Pashto.
“It was a tragedy which probably would be a scar that remains for a long period of time, especially for the families of the victims. It will be a permanent scar and it was shocking for the Afghans [in Australia], hearing the news of the killing of those innocent people."
Since 2016, the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force has examined allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) partnered with Australian Special Forces from the Special Operations Task Group conducted a deliberate operation to clear Source: AAP/Dept of Defence
Over four years, Justice Paul Brereton interviewed more than 400 witnesses and examined tens of thousands of documents.
The report also recommended that Australia compensate the families of Afghan people unlawfully killed.
Mr Akbar said "appalled" members of his community would eagerly await the next steps.
Redacted parts are seen of the report by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry in Canberra. Source: AAP
“The Afghans, in general, are optimistic. They welcome the decision by the Australian government as well as the publishing of the report.
“But now, more importantly, the investigation was a steppingstone to the trust and the belief of the Afghan Australians in the Australian legal system and the justice system overall.
“The Afghans now expect and have full trust in the system of Australia, and they believe that the perpetrators that were involved, or the chain of command, will be punished severely. That's the general expectation.”
The Chief of the Australian Defence Force Angus Campbell offered a "sincere and unreserved" apology to the Afghan people following the release of the report.
Prior to the report's release, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he received a phone call from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who "expressed his deepest sorrow over the misconduct by some Australian troops".
These moves were seen as an “important first step” by the president of the Afghan Community Association of New South Wales Nadir Azami.
“The way that the government announced and did an extensive report about the war in Afghanistan and about the conduct of the Australian troops, it was really promising that we know there is always someone looking over all these things,” he said.
Mr Azami said he was “shocked” by what he woke up to on Thursday and “didn’t expect it” from Australian forces.
Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) General Angus Campbell leaves after delivering the findings from the report. Source: AAP
“It was really disturbing that they could do such a thing and they can kill innocent people. That report was quite extensive and gave a lot of information about what was happening.
“At the same time, it was good news that they did do that report and look for those people who committed those war crimes with a promise that they will go all the way to the end to prosecute these people as well as look for compensation for the people who suffered because of this injustice.”
Mr Azami‘s organisation is the biggest Afghan community group in NSW with over 3000 members.
He said there was a “common reaction of sorrow and pity” among community members.
“We did hear about US soldiers and other foreign soldiers, but we haven’t had to hear shocking news about Australian forces. It was a shock for us because as you know, the Australian people are peace-loving and always work with a code of conduct with the war."
