9 Australian soldiers commit suicide in 3 weeks

KABUL (Pajhwok): Nine Australian soldiers took their own lives in just three weeks amid the release of a damning report into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, media reports said Monday.

Conducted by Major General Paul Brereton, the report confirmed Australian special forces could have killed 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners.

The nine Australian soldiers committed suicide in just three weeks amid the release of the report, Mail Online reported.

In the past three weeks, one female and eight male soldiers – aged in their early 20s to 50s – took their own lives, the report added.

So many soldiers taking their own lives in such a short space of time is believed to be unprecedented in recent Australian military history.

On Friday, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said the Australian government must hear the voice of victims’ families in Afghanistan and restore their rights.

sa/ma