KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2020) The Afghan Foreign Ministry said Monday in a statement it was aware of a controversial image of an Australian soldier posted by China, and launched an investigation into the situation.
On November 19, Australia released a report into the conduct of Australian special forces in Afghanistan that found that elite servicemen took part in the extrajudicial killing of 39 Afghan civilians while deployed in the country alongside the US-led coalition. Earlier in the day, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson tweeted an image showing an Australian soldier cutting the throat of an Afghan child, saying that Beijing condemned such acts of violence. The post prompted backlash from Canberra. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that China should be "totally ashamed" and called on Beijing to apologize.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is aware of the publication of an image of an Australian soldier's behavior to an Afghan citizen, and has launched an investigation into the context of this image," the ministry said.
The ministry said it had already had constructive discussions with Australia on the behavior of its soldiers, and the two countries were working closely together on the issue.
"In addition, the People's Republic of China and Australia are friends of Afghanistan, and have played an active role in Afghanistan's reconstruction and peace building over the past 20 years," the Afghan ministry said.
