The United States raised concerns with Australia that alleged war crimes by special forces troops in Afghanistan could derail joint military operations.
The chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell, made the revelation during a hearing of the Senate‘s foreign affairs, defence and trade committee on Wednesday.
He revealed he had received a letter from the US attache in Canberra in March 2021 warning that the findings in the Brereton war crimes report could trigger a US law known as the ‘Leahy Law’.
The law prevents US armed forces from working with units linked to ‘gross human rights violations’.
The Brereton report found ‘credible’ evidence that 25 current or former Australian SAS soldiers unlawfully killed 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2005 and 2016.
The US government warned that the country’s military may not work with Australia’s special forces unit due to allegations of war crimes (pictured, body camera footage from Australian SAS forces in Afghanistan)
General Campbell received the letter from the US about four months after the Brereton report was released.
‘I received a letter from the defence attache of the United States Armed Forces based in Canberra to me, indicating that the release of the Brereton report and its findings may initiate Leahy Law considerations,’ he said.
He explained that ‘this is all centred on the question of whether a unit is regarded in some way as being tainted by this question of allegations of unlawful conduct’.
He claimed that the US wanted to know ‘what Australia was doing’ in response to the Brereton report.
The military chief suggested that US military cooperation with Australian’s SAS forces may have been disrupted for up to a year as defence worked on remedying the issues present within the unit.
‘There was a precautionary period where we looked to our arrangements,’ General Campbell said.
One special forces soldier was reassigned in a bid to quell US concerns about violations of the ‘Leahy Law’.
The inquiry was told that the soldier’s position was ‘adjusted’ and the defence force member was informed about why he was being reassigned.
The chief of the Australian defence force, General Angus Campbell (pictured), revealed he had received a letter from the US warning that the findings in the Brereton report could trigger a US law known as the ‘Leahy Law’
The military chief initially told the committee he had not briefed the current or former defence ministers about the US concerns raised with him.
After checking his records, General Campbell later confirmed the former minister was informed.
Independent senator and former soldier Jacqui Lambie said the ministers and public should have been notified about the US concerns because it was also a ‘threat’, which the general rejected.
‘You have crossed the line,’ she told him.
A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed he had not been briefed on the matter.
‘The deputy prime minister is briefed on matters relating to his portfolio as they arise and as is appropriate,’ she told AAP.
‘Given there are serious privacy issues, it would be inappropriate to comment further.’
General Campbell marked March 2022 as ‘the conclusion of the issue’ and said there are currently no restrictions on co-operation.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk