Daniel Keighran VC calls for “urgency” in criminal investigations of war atrocities

Queensland Victoria Cross recipient Daniel Keighran says any criminal investigations over alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers need to be carried out with a sense of urgency.

Victoria Cross recipient Daniel Keighran says any criminal investigations over alleged war crimes should proceed “with a sense of urgency” as he revealed he was upset by the allegations and said the public has every right to be, too.

Mr Keighran said his thoughts were with defence personnel “who have done the right thing throughout their career and were unaware” of the alleged atrocities.

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Mr Keighran served in Afghanistan in 2007 as a Bushmaster armoured-vehicle driver with the Special Operations Task Group, one of the units from which 25 soldiers are alleged to have been involved in the unlawful killing of 39 Afghan men between 2005 and 2016.

Daniel Keighran in Afghanistan in 2010, the year he was involved in the Battle of Derapet which led to him receiving the Victoria Cross.

“I was working with individuals at that point in time where the window of these allegations occurred and I saw nothing of that nature,” Mr Keighran said.

“I saw professional soldiers going about their work in a high-risk environment. So I feel for those.

“It comes back to the great work I have done, that my unit has done, and those in the general defence force has done. Our reputation is tarnished essentially and I think the Australian public should be upset, I’m upset.”

After completing his tour with the SOTG, the then Corporal Keighran returned to Afghanistan in 2010 with his original company, the 6RAR’s Delta Company, where he was involved in a three-hour battle with Taliban fighters in Uruzgan province.

He received the Victoria Cross for “deliberate acts of exceptional courage” after launching into a series of daring runs in which he made himself the target of heavy Taliban fire to divert attack from a wounded soldier, who died, and to help his team identify multiple enemy positions.

Dan Keighran, VC, feels for soldiers who “have done the right thing throughout their career”. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Mr Keighran, who now works for multinational defence supplier, Thales, urged investigations towards criminal prosecution to proceed without delay.

“It’s taken four years to get this report (by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force) out so I would imagine it’s going to be a decade to continue to investigate this before it comes to a conclusion,” Mr Keighran said. “They really do need to pursue this with a sense of urgency and I do hope that’s the approach they take.

“I dare say there would be enough information by the sound of it to be able to pursue individuals, however, I feel this is going to be a long process, drawn out.

“I look forward to seeing evidence presented.”