Australian Ex-Soldier Ben Roberts-Smith Granted Bail in Afghan War Crimes Case
An Australian court on Friday granted bail to Ben Roberts-Smith, a former Australian special forces soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his service in Afghanistan, after he had been held in prison for 10 days on war crimes charges.
Roberts-Smith is accused of the murder of five unarmed individuals in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. The former soldier denies all of the charges against him.
The accusations include that he either killed the victims himself or ordered his subordinates to do so.
These charges stem from a 2020 military report that investigated the actions of Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
In a 2023 civil defamation trial, the court found that many of the allegations against Roberts-Smith were substantially true.
Prosecutors cited the gravity of the crimes when arguing against bail, but the defense successfully argued that Roberts-Smith should not be subject to prolonged pretrial detention. The trial proceedings could take years, with a potential life sentence if he is convicted.
Australia deployed approximately 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US and NATO operations.
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Where reports agree
- Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested in Sydney and charged with war crimes in Afghanistan, then granted bail after 10 days in custody on or around April 17, 2026.
- The allegations involve the murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians or detainees between 2009 and 2012, with claims he either killed them or ordered subordinates to do so.
- Roberts-Smith denies the charges and previously won the Victoria Cross for his service in Afghanistan.
- A 2023 civil case against newspapers found many war crimes allegations to be substantially true on the balance of probabilities.
- The case is expected to take years to reach trial, with prosecutors citing the gravity of the crimes and defense arguing against prolonged pretrial detention.
- Australia contributed around 39,000 troops to the Afghanistan mission over 20 years.
Where reports differ
- Minor discrepancy in reported age (47 in Al Jazeera vs. 46 in Amu TV).
- Al Jazeera includes additional specific historical allegations (e.g., kicking a civilian off a cliff, using a prosthetic limb as a drinking vessel) not detailed in Amu TV.
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