The one year anniversary of a report into war crimes by Australian troops should spark a sense of urgency within the government, Save the Children says.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Deputy chief executive Mat Tinkler says just because Australia pulled out of Afghanistan does not mean troops are not accountable after the Brereton report uncovered 23 instances of possible war crimes by Australian soldiers.
"The path to justice for the Afghan people requires prompt investigation and prosecution for any atrocities committed against children by Australian soldiers," he said.
"As is often the case, Afghan children are paying the heaviest price for over two decades of conflict. Their needs are dire and growing every day.
"Whether it's aid funding, humanitarian intake or accountability to the Afghan people, Australia's response to the Afghanistan crisis is falling short."
The organisation wants Australia to lift its humanitarian intake to 20,000 people following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
The government has said it would take a minimum of 3000 Afghans on humanitarian visas.
A Senate committee was told in October the Taliban taking control of the country had hamstrung investigations into the war crime allegations.
Accessing people, evidence and places in the country became "extremely difficult, if not ... impossible", the head of the Office of the Special Investigator said.
Meanwhile the Department of Defence is actively investigating the conduct of an Australian commando platoon in Afghanistan in 2012, the ABC reports.
The investigation relates to an incident reported by the ABC last year where a US Marine alleged Australian commandos shot and killed an Afghan prisoner when they were told there was not enough room on a US aircraft.
The incident allegedly occurred during an operation in Helmand province in 2012 but former November platoon commander Heston Russell, who says he was on operations, denies the claim.
Defence is refusing to release audio recordings and reports relating to the mission as requested by the ABC under freedom of information.
Defence says releasing the documents could compromise the current criminal investigation and any future trial.
Australian Associated Press
