No Australian soldier will face a court martial over the death of six civilians, including five children, during a 2009 raid in Afghanistan, the military said Tuesday.
Three Australian Defence Force personnel were originally charged over the deaths which occurred as special operations soldiers were clearing a compound where they believed a Taliban leader was hiding. In May a judge advocate ruled two of the three would not need to face a court martial, and on Tuesday the defence force said charges against the third had been formally withdrawn.
“Defence was committed to ensuring a proper legal process was observed throughout this matter so that the individuals charged received a fair trial and that the integrity of the military legal process was preserved,” Defence force chief General David Hurley said. “The legal processes that were adhered to in relation to this matter were independent of the chain of command.”
Six civilians, including five children, died and four people were injured in the February 12, 2009 incident in southern Uruzgan province. Two army reservists and their commanding officer, who were not identified, were subsequently charged and referred for trial.
