Ben Roberts-Smith joins 600 veterans as Albanese marks Australia’s 25 years in Afghanistan

Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to Australian troops who endured a battlefield where every footstep could conceal an explosive and threats could come from within their own ranks, as about 600 veterans gathered to mark 25 years since the beginning of Australia’s longest war.

Among those attending Sunday’s national commemoration at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra was Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, who faces five charges of war crime murder over the alleged executions of Afghan detainees. He strongly denies the allegations.

The prime minister honoured those who served in Afghanistan, the 47 Australian personnel who died as a result of their service and the families who continue to live with their loss.

“It was an environment in which vigilance had to be as relentless as the dust that we saw depicted in the video that began today’s solemn ceremony,” the prime minister said.

“Where every footstep could feel heavy in a landscape sown with explosives, where any crowd might hold a suicide bomber, and where the threats came from without, and sometimes devastatingly from within.”

He paid tribute to Afghan soldiers and interpreters who risked their lives to assist Australian forces, many of whom attended the ceremony.

“What shone brightly amid all of this was the courage of so many Afghans, the soldiers, the interpreters, all who stood against their oppressors and put their own safety on the line to help,” he said.

Albanese also recognised those who returned wounded in body or mind, and the families who endured the pride and pain of military service.

“We honour all who went and all who fell,” he said.

The gathering marked a quarter of a century since Australian forces deployed to Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. The conflict became Australia’s longest military engagement, spanning operations against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, counter-insurgency campaigns and efforts to train Afghan security forces.

About 26,000 to 30,000 Australians served under Operations Slipper and Highroad, with 263 wounded.

The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, following the withdrawal of international forces, left many veterans questioning the outcome of the two-decade campaign.

Kahlil Fegan, who served on multiple operational deployments and led multinational teams in Afghanistan, including Mentoring Task Force 4, reflected on the fall of Kabul and the questions it raised for those who served.

“Was it worth it? What did we achieve, and how will we be remembered?” he said.

Fegan said wars were often judged by their endings, but the meaning of military service could not be measured solely by political outcomes.

“It is measured in such things as duty, courage, sacrifice, and by standing by your mates when it matters,” he said.

Roberts-Smith, a former Special Air Service Regiment corporal, sat in the front row alongside his partner, Sarah Matulin. He was granted permission by a judge last month to travel from Brisbane to Canberra for the service, subject to strict bail conditions.

His prosecution has become a focus of debate over alleged unlawful killings by Australian special forces and the investigation of veterans accused of war crimes. No trial date has been set.

Roberts-Smith stayed behind for more than 30 minutes after the service, signing autographs and posing for photos with fellow veterans and their families and members of the public who attended the service.

He told reporters it was “not about my service today”.

“I’m here because tens of thousands of Australians contributed to the campaign in Afghanistan, and they did fantastic work, and that should never be forgotten,” he said.

“I think, like all the generations before them, it’s really important that we focus on what they actually achieved... there wouldn’t be a single one of those veterans that went to Afghanistan that doesn’t carry that war with them.”

Fellow Victoria Cross recipient Dan Keighran also attended, alongside former prime ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, a former SAS captain who served in Afghanistan and gave evidence in Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial, sat behind the former prime ministers with his children.

Chief or Defence Force, Admiral Mark Hammond laid a wreath alongside chief of airforce, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell and Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the chief of army.

Janny Poate, whose son Robert was killed at 23, in a “green on blue” attack, also read a tribute.

“We remember a human story that includes the families who waited, worried, endured separation, and who suffered loss?” she said. “Most of all, we remember this: their strength and resilience.”

Howards told reporters after the service he was honoured to have met and personally thanks so many veterans of the conflict.

Asked if he regretted making the decision, considering the Taliban is once again in control, he said: “It’s always worth putting your hand up to defend freedom and greater opportunities for democracy and greater opportunities for women.

“One of the things we did for a long time, unfortunately, been taken away by the Taliban was equality for women. One of the things that makes us different is its simple commitment to the equality of men and women. Now, a lot of countries don’t believe in that, and certainly in Afghanistan, the Taliban.”

Albanese said the service of Australian personnel demonstrated what was worth fighting for, regardless of the eventual outcome of the conflict.

“What Australians serving in Afghanistan embody is something that we must never lose,” he said.

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