Did SAS discover Afghanistan locals hiding in a tunnel throughout village raid?
All SAS witnesses have been given pseudonyms to guard their identities.
Person 42 advised the Federal Court in Sydney that “at least” two however “no more than three” Afghan males have been discovered within the tunnel, and that they “came out unarmed” and providing no resistance.
Another soldier, Person 40, who was second- in-command of one of many SAS patrols, mentioned he noticed two males emerge from the tunnel, together with a male with a limp, who lifted his trousers to indicate a prosthetic leg.
He advised the courtroom the lads have been searched, then “marched off” by Roberts-Smith and one other soldier. He later noticed {a photograph} of the physique of the person with the factitious leg pinned up on a wall again on the SAS bar, the Fat Lady’s Arms. He mentioned there was a hearsay across the base that the “person was killed on site, execution style”.
Person 18 was in one other a part of the compound when he heard the decision exit on the troop radio {that a} tunnel entrance had been discovered and “a person or people” had been pulled from it. He mentioned he went to help, however solely had a agency recollection of 1 Afghan prisoner standing close to the tunnel, hand-cuffed and wearing white.
He mentioned whereas he was guarding the tunnel entrance for a comrade who was looking it, they registered a burst of ammunition being fired round 10 to fifteen metres away. Later, he alleged listening to Roberts-Smith’s patrol commander, Person 5, telling Roberts-Smith that that they had “blooded the rookie”. (“Rookie” is SAS parlance for a soldier who’s but to have his first enemy kill).
Ben Roberts-Smith (left) with a former colleague consuming from the prosthetic leg of a lifeless Afghan man in 2012.
Person 43, one in all 5 patrol commanders current on the day, mentioned he helped pull an “elderly Afghani male with a beard” out of the tunnel mouth. He testified that the person was “placed under control”, or “PUC-ed” in SAS-speak. He believed the aged male was then handed to Person 5’s group (which included Roberts-Smith) for questioning.
He was requested if there might have been a couple of particular person contained in the tunnel, however was “not sure”. He later recalled briefly discussing the destiny of the prisoner or prisoners with Person 40. When Person 40 requested him the place these prisoners have been, he responded “you know what happened”. Person 40 allegedly replied, “that’s f—ed”.
A fifth soldier, Person 41, final month alleged he’d seen an Afghan male squatting close to the tunnel entrance after it had been discovered. He alleges Roberts-Smith and one other soldier, Person 4, borrowed his rifle suppressor, earlier than Roberts-Smith ordered Person 4 to shoot the person. He later noticed the person’s physique within the courtyard.
Thus far the courtroom has solely heard from Nine’s witnesses. Roberts-Smith’s authorized group is because of begin calling his witnesses from subsequent month. He has denied all wrongdoing.
It has been foreshadowed that no less than one of many SAS witnesses referred to as by Roberts-Smith will agree with the Victoria Cross recipient that there have been no prisoners within the tunnel.
Presiding Justice Anthony Besanko may have a fancy mosaic to piece collectively.
