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Australia's most decorated veteran walks free on bail on war crimes charges related to Afghan deaths
- Ben Roberts-Smith was granted bail in Sydney after being charged with five war crime murder counts linked to Afghanistan killings.
- Prosecutors warned of flight risk and witness interference as Roberts-Smith faces a potential life sentence on each count.
- The charges stem from killings in Uruzgan province in 2009 and 2012, with Roberts-Smith accused of personally killing and ordering others to kill.
- The case follows a 2020 military report that found evidence elite SAS troops unlawfully killed Afghan prisoners and civilians.
- A civil trial in 2023 largely credited the allegations against Roberts-Smith on a balance of probabilities.
- Roberts-Smith has yet to enter pleas and faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison on each conviction.
- The bail ruling noted the case is unprecedented in domestic courts for a highly decorated veteran.
- Roberts-Smith is Australia’s most decorated living soldier and the Victoria Cross recipient involved in the case.
- The incident involves deaths in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province during 2009 and 2012.
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