An internal Australian Defence Force investigation has revealed that some special operations commanders were aware of soldiers planting weapons on dead Afghan civilians—a practice known as "throwdowns"—yet took no action to halt the unlawful tactic. The 2021 report, recently published, highlights a severe "breakdown of command" and a decline in military discipline during Afghanistan deployments, linking these failures to instances of serious misconduct. The findings suggest systemic issues within the special forces’ operational culture, raising questions about accountability and oversight. The full executive summary offers further detail on the extent of the alleged failures.
Nothing done to stop planting weapons on dead Afghans, ADF inspector says, as ‘breakdown of command’ allowed ‘egregious behaviour’Get our daily political email, free app or daily news podcastSome Australian SAS officers knew that soldiers under their command were using “throwdowns” – planting weapons on dead Afghan civilians to portray them as combatants – but did nothing to stop the unlawful practice, a previously unpublished military report has said.Posted online this week, the executive summary of a 2021 investigation into the “cultural context” of the special operations command by the inspector general of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) is scathing about the “breakdown of command” and the erosion of military discipline during special forces operations in Afghanistan, which “resulted in episodes of potential and actual egregious behaviour”. Continue reading...
