Locals say troops fired through a roof while entering next-door house where an insurgent was hiding

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Australian special forces have been implicated in the deaths of a young boy and his father who were found shot dead after a night raid on a neighbouring house in southern Afghanistan last month.

Locals allege the two civilians were killed when Australian forces fired through the roof while entering the house next door where an insurgent was hiding, reports Fairfax Media. The raid was carried out on the night of 27 September in Bulagh, west of Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province.

Locals found the boy and his father after Australian forces left the house. They reportedly had bullet wounds and were lying under a blanket in a bed. The six-year-old boy was on his father’s chest and there was evidence that someone had tried to give him medical attention, it was claimed.

Fairfax also reported that Australian forces had paid compensation.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Defence told Guardian Australia that a possible civilian casualty incident on that date was under investigation.

“The government of Afghanistan and Isaf [International Security Assistance Force] headquarters have been informed of the incident,” she said.

“The ADF takes all reasonable steps to ensure its operations do not put the lives of civilians and non-combatants in jeopardy. Deployed ADF personnel operate under strict rules of engagement designed to minimise the risk to civilians.”

In August, Australian elite special forces troops were accused of misconduct, including severing the hands of deceased insurgents.

In March, Afghan officials blamed Australian soldiers for the deaths of two young children who were tending cattle.

In March 2011 Australian troops killed a man suspected of being an insurgent and a young boy. A defence report into the case found the actions of Australian troops were “lawful and in accordance with the rules of engagement”, said the chief of joint operations, Lieutenant General Ash Power.

“The child’s fatal injuries and the death of the Afghan man were the result of the partnered force being engaged by insurgents,” the report said.