Australians Killed Afghan Captives During 2009 Easter Sunday Mission, Witness Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A court witness told an Sydney court on Wednesday that an elite Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith shot an Afghan prisoner while patrolling a compound during the 2009 Easter Sunday mission, media reported on Wednesday.

Roberts-Smith, who has accused three newspapers and three journalists of defamation, claims he was slandered and denies the allegations reported in 2018 on the murders during an overseas deployment, humiliation of colleagues and domestic violence, the ABC broadcaster reported.

According to the broadcaster, the trial heard the testimony of Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) member, testifying under the pseudonym Person 41. The witness said that following the bombing of a compound by the Australian forces, an elderly Afghan was found in a hidden tunnel. Roberts-Smith was there with him, as well as another soldier who appears in court under the pseudonym Person 4. The witness claims that Roberts-Smith grabbed the Afghan by the shirt and said "shoot him" to the Person 4.

Person 41 was cited in the report as saying that when he wanted to inspect two more buildings at the compound, he saw Roberts-Smith dragging another Afghan by the legs, then putting the man into a prone position and firing about three or five bullets into his back.

Roberts-Smith himself insisted that he shot a suspected enemy who was running around the corner carrying a weapon, and that his unnamed colleague shot a second enemy, according to the broadcaster. The trial continues.