Former Australian soldier speaks out against allegations of Afghan war crimes

Sydney: Australia's most decorated soldier, ​charged with war crimes related to Afghanistan deployments more than a decade ago, on Saturday publicly denied the allegations against ⁠him and said he was proud of his service.

Ben Roberts-Smith, ⁠47, freed this week on bail, ‌is charged with five ​counts of war crimes over the alleged murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum jail term of life.

The ​former Special Air ⁠Service (SAS) corporal has consistently denied the accusations of wrongdoing, many first reported by Nine Entertainment newspapers in a series of articles starting in 2018.

Speaking to ⁠the media ‌on Queensland's Gold Coast, Roberts-Smith said he always acted within the rules of engagement in ‌Afghanistan.

"I categorically deny all of these allegations, and while ⁠I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this ‌opportunity to finally clear my name," ‌he said. "I'm proud of my service in Afghanistan."

After ‌more than a week in custody, Roberts-Smith ‌was granted bail after a judge said his matter would likely take years to get to court. Prosecutors had opposed ⁠bail on ⁠fears Roberts-Smith might try to contact witnesses.

Police have said they will allege Roberts-Smith's victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their deaths and were detained, unarmed and under the control of Australian forces when killed.

In 2023, Roberts-Smith lost ​a defamation suit over the media accusations and ​was found on the ​balance of probabilities to have been involved in the murder of ​four Afghan civilians.