A US Marine helicopter crew chief told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that a group of Australian soldiers shot and killed an Afghan prisoner as they were preparing to be airlifted after a raid. According to the marine, identified only as Josh, the Aussie commandos radioed his helicopter to tell them they needed transportation for seven prisoners captured during the operation. He told the Australian outlet:
"And you just heard this silence, and then we heard a pop. And then they said, 'OK, we have six prisoners'. We knew somebody was already cuffed up, ready to go, taken prisoner, and we just witnessed them kill a prisoner. It was a very deliberate decision to break the rules of war."The US marine said it was the first time he had seen something he couldn't "morally justify," as the prisoner had already been detained and posed no threat to the Aussie forces.
Comment: As in the travesty of the Julian Assange case, another Aussie journalist may face charges for reporting inconvenient news.