‘There’s no fog of war’: Former SAS veteran speaks out amid Ben Roberts-Smith alleged war crimes
An SAS veteran who saw Ben Roberts-Smith on duty while serving in Afghanistan and accused him of war crimes has broken his silence.
Mr Roberts-Smith, one of the country’s most decorated soldiers, was arrested and charged with alleged war crimes by the Australian Federal Police on Tuesday.
He was arrested by members of the Australian Federal Police after being charged with five war crimes (murders), in which he was accused of participating in five killings between 2009 and 2012 while he was serving in Afghanistan.
He has not entered a defense and is entitled to the presumption of innocence. He has always denied the allegations.
Speaking to Nick McKenzie on 60 Minutes, the former SAS soldier known as “Person X” said he wanted to believe the ex-soldier was a “hero”.
“There are a lot of people who don’t accept what he (allegedly) did in Afghanistan,” he told 60 Minutes.
“On the other hand, there are many people on his side. Most of them are members of the public who want to believe in our so-called heroes.”
An unnamed SAS veteran alleged Mr Roberts-Smith was involved in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan.
“The hero is not the person who harms individuals, innocent individuals,” he said.
He told authorities the alleged acts were committed “after the dust had calmed down.”
“There’s no fog of war, no bullets flying around, nothing like that,” he said.
Speaking to 60 Minutes, “Person X” said he believed the alleged actions were “completely contrary to the mission.”
“We weren’t there to kill civilians or non-combatants who didn’t deserve to die,” he said.
“I don’t think any Australian would want our soldiers, our ADF, to go overseas and (allegedly) commit murder in their name.”
The unnamed veteran said other soldiers who spoke out against the alleged war criminal were “vilified” and labeled “rats”.
He called them “heroes” with “physical courage” and “moral courage.”
“These guys who spoke have suffered a lot,” he told 60 Minutes.
“It’s sad, but I believe the guys who went to trial… were heroes.”
Trial will be long and complex: Former war crimes prosecutor
Former war crimes prosecutor Graeme Blewett said the investigation into Mr Roberts-Smith was complex and could take two years.
“(The jury) will present to the court their own understanding of what happened,” he said.
“You can never predict what a jury will think about a case or what they will ultimately do.”
He said the soldiers who spoke out against Mr Roberts-Smith were “very brave”.
“This is an important step for them,” he told 60 Minutes.
“It is also an admission that they themselves are involved in the war and that they believe that all the unpleasantness of this war – with people being killed left, right and centre – that the line has been crossed, and this is unacceptable.”
Charges facing Ben Roberts-Smith
Mr Roberts-Smith failed in his libel claim against Nine Newspapers in the Federal Court, where the defenses were assessed on the ‘balance of probabilities’, following a series of stories in which he was accused of participating in unlawful killings while serving in Afghanistan.
After losing his appeal in the Full Court of the Federal Court, he took the case to the Supreme Court, where he was denied special leave to appeal.
Two of the charges against the former soldier relate to the deaths of two people in April; 12, 2009, at Whiskey 108 – a compound in Kakarak, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
Mr Roberts-Smith is alleged to have ordered another soldier to shoot a man in the head.
He also allegedly shot another man with a prosthetic leg in the head.
He is also alleged to have kicked handcuffed shepherd Ali Jan off a cliff in Darwan in September 2012.
He allegedly ordered another soldier to kill the man in the cornfield.
The last two charges relate to the alleged killing of two “persons under control” in Syahchow in Uruzgan Province in October 2012.
The two men were allegedly taken to a field and shot dead.
According to the libel suit, Mr Roberts-Smith ordered a soldier known as Person 66 to kill one of the prisoners.
Each murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
