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Former Australian soldier to remain in custody over Afghan war crimes charges
Roberts-Smith was denied bail by police and taken to Silverwater Correctional Complex in western Sydney, where he spent the night.
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, will remain in custody following his arrest on multiple alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, local media reported Wednesday.
The 47-year-old former member of the elite Special Air Services Regiment was arrested on Tuesday and charged with five counts of war crimes, relating to the deaths of five civilians between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Roberts-Smith was denied bail by police and taken to Silverwater Correctional Complex in western Sydney, where he spent the night. He did not participate via video link in a bail hearing on Wednesday morning.
His lawyer, Jordan Portokalli, told the court he would not be seeking bail and requested an in-person hearing later in the day. A formal bail review hearing has been scheduled for April 17 in a Sydney courthouse.
Roberts-Smith, a six-tour veteran of Afghanistan from 2006 to 2012, was celebrated as a national hero and awarded several top military honours, including the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for members of the armed forces in Britain and the Commonwealth.
The Australian Federal Police allege that the victims were unarmed civilians, detained and under Australian control at the time of their deaths, and were either shot by Roberts-Smith or by his subordinates acting under his orders and presence.
These charges follow a joint investigation launched in 2021 by the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator, established to examine alleged criminal conduct by Australian defence personnel.
Roberts-Smith has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Allegations first surfaced in 2018 through a series of articles by Nine Entertainment newspapers. He later contested the claims in what became Australia’s most expensive defamation trial, in which he was found, on the balance of probabilities, to have been involved in the killing of four Afghan civilians.
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Afghanistan received more than $11 billion in humanitarian aid over the past five years
Afghanistan has received more than $11 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in August 2021, according to United Nations figures cited by the BBC.
Despite the substantial aid, the gap between humanitarian needs and available funding remains wide, with the United Nations warning that millions of Afghans continue to require assistance.
The decline in international funding, a growing number of people in need and the return of millions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries have added pressure to the country’s humanitarian situation.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis deepened following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021. The depreciation of the national currency, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and reductions in some international support programs further strained the economy and living conditions.
UN data shows that Afghanistan received about $5.2 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2021, followed by around $3.8 billion in 2022 and nearly $2 billion in 2023.
For 2024 and 2025, the United Nations appealed for more than $3 billion to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. However, funding fell short of the amounts requested.
The assistance has largely been directed toward food, healthcare, support for returnees and other urgent humanitarian needs.
The United Nations continues to classify Afghanistan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, stressing that sustained international support remains essential for millions of Afghans who continue to need assistance.
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Afghanistan expresses condolences over deadly Indonesia earthquake
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has expressed deep sorrow over a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53 people and forcing around 5,000 others to evacuate.
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Flores Island and surrounding areas on Saturday, blocking roads and triggering landslides, Indonesian authorities said.
In a statement, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sympathy and condolences to the government and people of Indonesia over the casualties caused by the earthquake.
It also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.
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Afghan commerce minister meets Uzbek deputy prime minister in Termez
Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, met with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshed Khojaev in the city of Termez to discuss expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
The meeting, held on Saturday at the Termez Trade Center, focused on cooperation in the electricity, mining and agriculture sectors, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.
Uzbek officials expressed interest in investing in various sectors in Afghanistan. The Afghan delegation welcomed the interest and emphasized its readiness to create the necessary conditions for expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
Mohammad Yousuf Wafa, governor of Balkh, and Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tashkent, also attended the meeting.
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