Australia charges decorated SAS veteran Ben Roberts-Smith with five war crimes in Afghanistan

Ben Roberts-Smith, a 47-year-old Victoria Cross recipient and former Australian SAS soldier, was charged with five counts of murder as war crimes stemming from his military operations in Afghanistan. The decorated veteran appeared in a Sydney bail court on April 8, 2026, and was remanded in custody for more than a week pending further proceedings. This case represents a rare high-profile prosecution of an Australian military figure for alleged wartime misconduct, drawing scrutiny to Australia's accountability mechanisms for soldiers accused of serious violations. The charges follow years of investigations into alleged unlawful killings during Australia's two-decade engagement in Afghanistan.