Reuters —
Australia’s most decorated soldier, charged with war crimes related to Afghanistan deployments more than a decade ago, on Sunday 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…