A former Australian soldier accused of murdering a villager in Afghanistan has had his bail conditions varied as he waits for the next stage in his case.
According to NCA NewsWire, Oliver Schulz, 41, was arrested in March and charged with one count of war crime – murder by the Australian Federal Police.
Schulz has been accused of murdering Dad Mohammad in a wheat field while deployed in Afghanistan with the Australian Defence Force in 2012.
In November 2020, the Australian Defence Force found in a four-year inquiry that there were “credible evidence” suggesting its elite forces had unlawfully killed 39 “prisoners, farmers or civilians” in Afghanistan between 2009 to 2013.
Following the recommendations of the report, 19 current and former members of Australia’s military were then referred to a special investigator to determine if there was sufficient evidence to prosecute.
More than 39,000 Australian forces, according to the Reuters, participated in the US-led NATO military invasion of Afghanistan and fought against the Taliban. 41 Australian forces were killed in Afghanistan which fell to the Taliban once again in August 2021.
