Latest news with #NATO-led
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany plans to extend Bundeswehr mandate for three missions abroad
Germany's new government plans to extend the armed forces' involvement in international missions in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and off Lebanon, as agreed in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The Cabinet of Chancellor Friedrich Merz approved the extension of mandates for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the eastern Mediterranean as well as for the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the EU mission EUFOR Althea in the Balkans. "By continuing its participation in these missions, the German government is emphasizing its ongoing commitment to peace and stability," said government spokesman Stefan Kornelius. Before the extensions can take effect, the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, has to approve them. Soldiers of the Bundeswehr, as the German armed forces are called, have been employed as part of KFOR for 26 years, making it the longest foreign deployment. Despite the Kosovo War having ended in 1999, the international troops continue to be necessary to stabilize the security situation, said government spokesman Kornelius. Germany will continue to deploy a maximum of 400 troops to Kosovo, he said. Meanwhile, up to 50 soldiers will continue to be deployed as part of EUFOR Althea, an EU-led mission intended to ensure compliance with the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the Bosnian war in 1995. Up to 300 German soldiers will continue to support UNIFIL, which has been monitoring the border area between Israel and Lebanon since 1978. A Bundeswehr frigate has been deployed to the Mediterranean to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Lebanon's pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court rejects Australian soldier's defamation appeal over Afghan killings
Australia's most decorated living war veteran has lost an appeal against a civil court ruling that implicated him in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan. Australia's Federal Court dismissed the appeal lodged by Ben Roberts-Smith on Friday, in the latest setback for the 46-year-old's fight to salvage a reputation tattered by reports that he took part in the murder of four unarmed Afghan prisoners. Three federal court judges unanimously rejected his appeal of a judge's ruling in 2023, which said Roberts-Smith was not defamed by newspaper articles published in 2018 that accused him of a range of war crimes. In the earlier ruling, a judge had found that the accusations were substantially true to a civil standard and Roberts-Smith was responsible for four of the six unlawful deaths of noncombatants he had been accused of. Delivering the appeal court's verdict, Justice Nye Perram explained that the reasons for the decision are being withheld due to national security implications that the government must consider. The marathon 110-day trial is estimated to have cost 25 million Australian dollars ($16m) in legal fees that Roberts-Smith will likely be liable to pay. He has however said he will fight to clear his name in Australia's High Court, his last avenue of legal appeal. 'I continue to maintain my innocence and deny these egregious spiteful allegations,' Roberts-Smith said in a statement. 'We will immediately seek to challenge this judgement in the High Court of Australia.' Tory Maguire, an executive of Nine Entertainment that published the articles Roberts-Smith claimed were untrue, welcomed the ruling as an 'emphatic win'. 'Today is also a great day for investigative journalism and underscores why it remains highly valued by the Australian people,' Maguire deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of United States and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other armed groups. Perth-born Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal, had won the Victoria Cross – Australia's highest military honour – for 'conspicuous gallantry' in Afghanistan while on the hunt for a senior Taliban commander. An Australian military report released in 2020 found evidence that Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians. The report recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigation. It's not clear whether Roberts-Smith was one of them. Police have been working with the Office of the Special Investigator, an Australian investigation agency established in 2021, to build cases against elite SAS and Commando Regiments troops who served in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times said in a series of reports in 2018 that Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered subordinates to shoot him. He was also said to have taken part in the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic leg, which was later brought back to an army bar and used as a drinking vessel.
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Decorated Australian soldier loses war crimes defamation appeal
One of Australia's most decorated soldiers has lost a legal bid to overturn bombshell court findings that implicated him in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan. In 2018, newspapers unearthed allegations that former SAS commando Ben Roberts-Smith took part in the murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners. His multi-million dollar bid to sue three Australian newspapers for defamation failed in 2023, with a judge ruling the bulk of the journalists' claims were "substantially true". The 46-year-old suffered another setback when Australia's Federal Court dismissed his appeal. Justice Nye Perram withheld the reasons for the decision, saying there were national security implications the government must consider before they are released. A published summary said there was sufficient evidence to support findings Mr Roberts-Smith had "murdered four Afghan men". Mr Roberts-Smith said he would now fight to clear his name in Australia's High Court - his last avenue of legal appeal. "I continue to maintain my innocence and deny these egregious spiteful allegations," he told local media in a statement. "We will immediately seek to challenge this judgment in the High Court of Australia." Mr Roberts-Smith argued in his appeal that the judge "erred" in the way he assessed some of the evidence. Perth-born Roberts-Smith had been Australia's most famous and distinguished living soldier. Decorated soldier He won the Victoria Cross - Australia's highest military honour - for "conspicuous gallantry" in Afghanistan while on the hunt for a senior Taliban commander. In a series of reports, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times reported that he took part in the murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners in 2018. The papers reported Mr Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered subordinates to shoot him. He was also said to have taken part in the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic leg, which was later brought back to an army bar and used as a drinking vessel. The 2023 court ruling ultimately implicated Mr Roberts-Smith in the murder of four unarmed Afghan prisoners. Civil court matters such as defamation have a lower standard of proof than criminal trials. Mr Roberts-Smith has not faced criminal charges. Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups. A 2020 military investigation found special forces personnel "unlawfully killed" 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, revealing allegations of summary executions, body count competitions and torture by Australian forces.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Decorated Australian soldier loses war crimes defamation appeal
SYDNEY: One of Australia's most decorated soldiers on Friday lost a legal bid to overturn bombshell court findings that implicated him in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan. Former SAS commando Ben Roberts-Smith has been fighting to repair his tattered reputation since 2018, when newspapers unearthed allegations he took part in the murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners. His multi-million dollar bid to sue three Australian newspapers for defamation failed in 2023, with a judge ruling the bulk of the journalists' claims were 'substantially true'. The 46-year-old suffered another setback on Friday, when Australia's Federal Court dismissed his appeal. Justice Nye Perram withheld the reasons for the decision, saying there were national security implications the government must consider before they are released. A published summary said there was sufficient evidence to support findings that Roberts-Smith had 'murdered four Afghan men'. Roberts-Smith argued in his appeal that the judge 'erred' in the way he assessed some of the evidence. Perth-born Roberts-Smith had been Australia's most famous and distinguished living soldier. He won the Victoria Cross -- Australia's highest military honour -- for 'conspicuous gallantry' in Afghanistan while on the hunt for a senior Taliban commander. The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times shredded this reputation with a series of reports in 2018. The papers reported Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered subordinates to shoot him. He was also said to have taken part in the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic leg, which was later brought back to an army bar and used as a drinking vessel. The 2023 court ruling ultimately implicated Roberts-Smith in the murder of four unarmed Afghan prisoners. Civil court matters such as defamation have a lower standard of proof than criminal trials. Roberts-Smith has not faced criminal charges. Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups. A 2020 military investigation found special forces personnel 'unlawfully killed' 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, revealing allegations of summary executions, body count competitions and torture by Australian forces.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Ben Roberts-Smith Loses Appeal in War Crimes Case
SYDNEY: One of Australia's most decorated soldiers on Friday lost a legal bid to overturn bombshell court findings that implicated him in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan. Former SAS commando Ben Roberts-Smith has been fighting to repair his tattered reputation since 2018, when newspapers unearthed allegations he took part in the murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners. His multi-million dollar bid to sue three Australian newspapers for defamation failed in 2023, with a judge ruling the bulk of the journalists' claims were 'substantially true'. The 46-year-old suffered another setback on Friday, when Australia's Federal Court dismissed his appeal. Justice Nye Perram withheld the reasons for the decision, saying there were national security implications the government must consider before they are released. A published summary said there was sufficient evidence to support findings that Roberts-Smith had 'murdered four Afghan men'. Roberts-Smith argued in his appeal that the judge 'erred' in the way he assessed some of the evidence. Perth-born Roberts-Smith had been Australia's most famous and distinguished living soldier. He won the Victoria Cross -- Australia's highest military honour -- for 'conspicuous gallantry' in Afghanistan while on the hunt for a senior Taliban commander. The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times shredded this reputation with a series of reports in 2018. The papers reported Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered subordinates to shoot him. He was also said to have taken part in the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic leg, which was later brought back to an army bar and used as a drinking vessel. The 2023 court ruling ultimately implicated Roberts-Smith in the murder of four unarmed Afghan prisoners. Civil court matters such as defamation have a lower standard of proof than criminal trials. Roberts-Smith has not faced criminal charges. Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups. A 2020 military investigation found special forces personnel 'unlawfully killed' 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, revealing allegations of summary executions, body count competitions and torture by Australian forces.
