CANBERRA, Australia, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Australia will try three ex-soldiers for a raid that killed six Afghan civilians, the military said.
Brig. Lyn McDade, a military prosecutor, said the men, who have not been named, would be "charged with various service offenses, including manslaughter, dangerous conduct, failing to comply with a lawful general order and prejudicial conduct," in a statement reported Monday by The Canberra Times.
Five of the victims were children in the February 2009 commando raid on a suspected Taliban hideout near the village of Surkh Morghab in southern Uruzgan province. Two other children and two adults were wounded.
Investigators said the soldiers attacked the wrong house. At the time, the Australian military said they had returned fire against militants in accordance with their rules of engagement.
The ex-servicemen issued a statement through their lawyers, blaming the "callous and reckless act" of an insurgent in the compound for the civilian deaths, the Voice of America reported. The men said their actions saved the lives of other Australian and Afghan troops.
