It has been three years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan following two decades of war by the US and its allies. The Taliban government and war victims in Afghanistan have renewed their calls for justice, as Australia remains the only country to have issued a compensation plan for those unlawfully killed or abused during the war. Our correspondent Zmaryalai Abasin has more in this report.
The 20-year US-led war in Afghanistan may have ended nearly three years ago, but the scars left behind include many stories of alleged atrocities committed.
Deh Jawz, a largely isolated village in the outskirts of Tirinkot, the provincial capital of Uruzgan province, is one of several villages that witnessed unlawful killings and saw catastrophic civilian casualties.
Esmatullah, now 26, was a 10-year-old boy when his father and older brother were shot dead by Australian forces in 2008.
He says he still remembers the brutality of their deaths.
His brother, Ahmadullah, was partially paralyzed due to a previous traffic accident and he says the Australian servicemen pulled his prosthetic leg off and drank beer from it - right on the spot where he was shot dead.
ZMARYALAI ABASIN Tirinkot, Afghanistan "It was a fine evening when the Australian forced into Ahmadullah's house right here. They first shot Ahmadullah's father inside the house and grabbed him to this part and directly shot him on the throat and the same night they bombarded the area."
Victims' family members are demanding justice and an impartial trial of the perpetrators.
ESMATULLAH Victim's Family Member "They grabbed him by the collar and shot him right here. My poor father was also shot over there. They were killed for no reason. I don't know why? They were either misinformed or punishing them instead of those they couldn't."
BIBI RABIA Victim's Family Member "They bombarded our house the same night. We were dragged to a warehouse at night. They shot our men inside the house and were under the debris for three days."
Authorities in the Taliban-led government accuse all the countries that took part in invading Afghanistan of committing war crimes and atrocities.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the de facto government, says he believes some countries are trying to politicize the compensation issue and want to prosecute a few individual soldiers, rather than admit responsibility at a more senior level of command.
ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID Central Spokesperson for Taliban-led Government "It has been a one-sided scenario so far. Only the Australian government and its legislations have been following the matter and speaking about it. There is a lack of an international standard through which the Afghans could also have their role as a government in an impartial framework and could lead to an impartial compensation plan."
Michelle Jasmin Dimasi, an Australian anthropologist, researcher and freelance writer has been visiting Afghanistan for over 14 years and has stayed regularly engaged with the country.
She has been particularly focused on the war crimes allegedly committed by Australian forces in Uruzgan. Dimasi questions implementation of the so-called compensation plan.
A four-year investigation, known as the Brereton report, found in 2020 that there was credible information to suspect Australian special forces of killing 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan. Australia referred 19 soldiers for potential criminal prosecution as a result.
MICHELLE JASMIN DIMASI Australian Journalist "The time frame of the things that are happening here are very, very slow. So, how much longer are the victims have to wait to be compensated. And for these victims and their families in Uruzgan, the most important thing is justice. They don't want to be handed just a stack of cash and go behind of this. They just want justice and they want accountability and the perpetrators be brought to the courts."
ZMARYALAI ABASIN Kabul "Many Afghans urged international observers and human rights organizations to investigate not only the unlawful killings allegedly committed by Australian forces but also by other countries involved in civilian casualties during the two decades-long US-led Afghanistan invasion. The question is: Will these countries not only compensate victims' families but also bring the perpetrators to justice? Many experts doubt the will and appetite of the accused countries. Zmaryalai Abasin, CGTN, Kabul."