Media Room: Media Releases

INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS INTO TWO RECENT OPERATIONAL INCIDENTS IN AFGHANISTAN COMPLETED

Internal assessments into the facts surrounding two recent operational incidents in Afghanistan have been completed, the Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Mark Evans, announced today.

In the first incident on 3^rd of August, an Australian soldier shot and killed an Afghan man - believed to be an insurgent - in a self-protection incident.

“An Australian soldier, operating as part of an Operational Liaison and Mentoring Team patrol, engaged with a single shot a person he believed to be about to fire on the patrol,” Lieutenant General Evans said.

“The Australian soldier used lethal force on the assessment of the person being a credible and imminent threat.

“The soldier saw that the Afghan national was raising a rifle to a firing position and was able to identify the type of weapon.

“The internal assessment concluded that the soldier acted within his Rules of Engagement.

“However, by the time Australians were able to safely reach the incident site some 20 minutes after the engagement no weapon was found, although a man had been observed running from the scene 30-40 seconds after the engagement.”

In the second incident on 11^th of August, two Afghan men travelling on a motorcycle were shot by Australian Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF) soldiers when they failed to comply with multiple verbal and visual signals to stop at a vehicle check point.

One man was killed and the other man was wounded. The men were later confirmed as members of the Afghan National Police.

“From the information available in the internal assessment, the soldiers acted within their Rules of Engagement,” Lieutenant General Evans said.

“However, I have initiated a comprehensive inquiry to review the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident in order to provide recommendations on possible changes to procedures.

“An Inquiry Officer has been appointed to review the tactics, techniques and procedures for establishing Vehicle Check Points and conducting vehicle checks to ensure these are appropriate mechanisms for maintaining security.

“Australian operating procedures for the conduct of Vehicle Check Points are robust, however, we constantly monitor our processes and make adjustments where necessary,” Lieutenant General Evans said.

Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664