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US warns war crime allegations could prevent work with Australia’s SAS

The United States has warned that allegations of war crimes against Australian soldiers in Afghanistan could prevent U.S. forces from working with Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment, Australia’s defense force chief said on Wednesday.
Gen. Angus Campbell told a Senate committee that he received a letter from the U.S. defense attache in Canberra in March 2021 suggesting the elite SAS may have been “tainted” by the allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan raised in an Australian war crime investigation report that was made public in 2000, Associated Press reported.
Campbell said “one individual” had his “posted position adjusted” following the letter.
The letter warned that the Brereton report, which detailed “credible information” that Australian soldiers had unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians, could trigger a U.S. law that prevents the country’s military working with units linked to gross violations of human rights.
“I received a letter from the defense 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,” Campbell said.
Campbell said he did not believe he informed the defense minister at the time and had not informed the current defense minister, Richard Marles.
Campbell was quizzed by senators on why he had not advised successive governments about such a letter from Australia’s most important security treaty partner, AP reported.
Independent Senator Jacqi Lambie asked whether the government should have been advised of such a “pretty big matter.”
Campbell replied: “I think there’s a difference between ‘may’ and ‘does.’ So the defense attache was indicating that it ‘may,’ rather than it ‘does.’”
Campbell later corrected himself, telling the Senate committee that records showed he had informed the previous government’s defense minister in 2021.
The U.S. never applied Leahy Law restrictions to the Australian military and 12 months after the letter marked the “conclusion of the issue,” Campbell said.
Marles’ office confirmed that the current defense minister, whose government came to power in elections in May last year, had not been briefed on the issue.
Marles “is briefed on matters relating to his portfolio as they arise and as is appropriate,” his office said in a statement.
Police in March charged the first Australian veteran for an alleged killing in Afghanistan, three years after the Brereton investigation found that 19 Australian special forces soldiers could face charges for illegal conduct during the conflict.
Former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz, 41, was charged with the war crime of murder in the death of an Afghan who was shot in 2012 in a wheat field in Uruzgan province.
More than 39,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan over 20 years until the 2021 withdrawal.
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Afghan govt should be held accountable for its promises: Iran’s envoy

Iran’s special envoy for Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Qomi says Moscow format meeting was held at a time when Afghanistan is still an important issue in the foreign policy of the region and the world and that the Islamic Emirate is accountable for what it promises.
Speaking to Iranian media, Qomi said that Afghanistan’s neighboring countries have come to the conclusion to change the conditions in Afghanistan in a collective move in cooperation with the caretaker government’s officials.
“In the field of regional initiatives at the Moscow format meeting, the countries of the region came to the conclusion that they should create a collective movement to help each other, to help improve living and economic conditions, and to help support the political process,” said Qomi.
He, however, stated that the US and its allies destroyed Afghanistan’s economic infrastructure and security foundations during their presence in the country.
According to him, although the US has withdrawn from Afghanistan, supporting Daesh is one of Washington’s priorities.
“Even though the Americans left today, they are still doing their mischief, supporting Daesh is still on the agenda of the Americans,” he added.
The caretaker government of Afghanistan has tried to fight against drugs and root out terrorism, but the danger of terrorists and drug trafficking still exists for the country’s neighbors, he said.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate says the neighboring countries, including Iran should not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
“We ask all the neighboring countries not to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan in any way, instead they should try to harmonize all their views with the Islamic Emirate,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for IEA.
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Paktika radio station back on air after 2-year break

A local radio station, Milma, in Paktika province has resumed operations after a two-year break, the radio officials said.
The radio officials said they took this decision at the request of their audience, adding that they will expand their broadcasting coverage to other provinces as well.
Milma radio reportedly had broadcasts for the southeastern provinces in the previous government.
Meanwhile, many media outlets have ceased operations due to economic problems over the last two years.
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Pakistan police detain 800 Afghan refugees in Islamabad suburbs

Pakistan police have detained 800 Afghan refugees in the suburbs of Islamabad, out of which 375 face deportation due to a lack of proper documentation.
“Islamabad police launched a search operation in Bara Kahu, Trinol, Mahar Abadian, Golra and Shams Colony and arrested 800 Afghan nationals,” police said.
“Four hundred Afghan nationals were later released on producing the proof of residence,” officials said. “375 other Afghan nationals had no identity papers, while 25 remaining Afghans have been detained till verification of their identity documents,” police further said.
“Lists of Afghans were compiled on the basis of secret information before the operation,” police said.
“Several criminal Afghan residents have also been pointed out and the operation will further step up in coming days,” officials said. Police said that the authorities have decided to deport 375 arrested Afghan nationals from Pakistan.
According to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan has surged to 3.7 million as of June this year, with a mere 1.3 million of them officially registered with the authorities. Approximately 775,000 unregistered Afghans are currently residing in the country.
As per Pakistan media outlets, a major 68.8 percent of Afghan citizens in Pakistan have settled in urban or semi-urban areas, while the remaining 31.2 percent are disturbed across 54 different regions including villages.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) considers the detention and alleged torture of Afghan immigrants in Pakistan to be against international standards and says that it has discussed this issue with Pakistani authorities many times through the Afghan embassy in Pakistan, and that it has been emphasized that Afghan immigrants in the country must be treated according to international laws.
At the same time, the Ministry of Refugees and Returnees says that to solve this problem, they are in contact with the Pakistani authorities to stop the process of arresting migrants and release the imprisoned Afghans.
Experts say that currently immigrants in Pakistan are facing many problems and challenges, and to solve these challenges, there is a need for diplomatic talks between Kabul and Islamabad based on international migration laws.
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