The alleged war crimes occurred in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2013, but other instances of less grave suspected misconduct have occurred in Australia or other locations overseas over a longer time frame. Senior Defence sources said that despite many red flags pointing to deep seated problems, major efforts to improve special forces’ accountability and culture were not attempted until late 2015 and even then were met with resistance. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mr Irvine’s appointment by army chief Angus Campbell comes as Fairfax Media, as part of an ongoing six-month investigation, uncovers the first corroborated claims that a small number of members from a rogue Australian Special Air Service Regiment patrol were involved in the summary execution of unarmed detainees in Afghanistan. Loading

Fairfax Media has also seen leaked Defence reports from 2016 that describe a culture of impunity and concealment in the special forces. The main combat elements of Australian Special Forces are the Special Air Service Regiment and the Commandos. The Defence Force previously commissioned consultant Dr Samantha Crompvoets to interview SASR and Commandos insiders to gather accounts of wrongdoing. That report prompted a second probe, the still-ongoing inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, assisted by NSW Supreme Court judge, Major General Paul Brereton. The contents of Dr Crompvoets’ report were revealed by Fairfax Media on Friday. It describes "unsanctioned and illegal application of violence on operations" and a "complete lack of accountability" involving Australia’s elite special forces. The Brereton inquiry was commissioned in 2016 by then chief of army, Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell (soon to be become chief of the Defence Force) and then special forces commander, Major General Jeff Sengelman, after they were briefed by Dr Crompvoets. Major-General Sengelman, who recently left Defence, led the push inside the Australian defence forces for reform and accountability. He was backed by Lieutenant-General Campbell, but faced fierce resistance from some quarters. Loading

In a statement, a Defence spokesperson confirmed the appointment of Mr Irvine, the former director general of spy agency ASIO. “The Army has engaged David Irvine to conduct an independent assessment of reform measures implemented within Special Operations Command,” the spokesperson said. “As part of the broader Army and Australian Defence Force cultural review and reform measures, Special Operations Command has implemented a number of cultural and governance reforms since 2015. "The Irvine review will assist Army leadership to determine the effectiveness of reform initiatives and identify whether additional improvements are required.” The prosthetic leg that was mounted, and turned into a novelty drinking vessel.

Fairfax Media revealed on Sunday that an SASR trooper on his first deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 was pressured to execute an elderly, unarmed detainee by fellow higher-ranking soldiers as part of a "blooding" ritual, according to defence insiders who were witnesses at the scene. On the same mission, another man with a prosthetic leg was killed by machine-gun fire. His plastic leg was souvenired and taken back to SAS headquarters in Perth to be used as a novelty beer drinking vessel. The summary execution of the elderly detainee on Easter Sunday, 2009, is one of several incidents involving a rogue SASR team operating in Afghanistan which have been corroborated by special forces insiders. SASR sources claim the man with the prosthetic leg was machine-gunned by a soldier that, for legal reasons, Fairfax Media will call "Leonidas". Leonidas is also implicated in the killing of a detainee three years later in September 2012 during a SASR mission in the village of Darwan. Leonidas allegedly kicked handcuffed detainee Ali Jan off the edge of a small cliff, badly injuring his face, according to claims of two Defence Force insiders who witnessed the event.

As the detainee lay injured, hands still bound, the two witnesses say Leonidas was party to the decision among soldiers to “get him out of his misery”. The claims have been backed by the relatives of Ali Jan who were interviewed this week by an Afghan journalist on assignment with Fairfax Media. An Australian Special Operations Task Group soldier observing the valley during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in Afghanistain in 2010. SASR insiders said the summary execution allegations were at the centre of the IGADF inquiry. Sources in Defence and inside the Coalition said the federal government expects further explosive allegations about special forces to emerge in the next eight months. But senior political and Defence sources have said it is unclear if any allegations that are confirmed will be formally detailed in a public report, or will instead remain classified and referred only to Defence Minister Marise Payne, select members of cabinet and the incoming Chief of Defence Force, Angus Campbell. Allegations that are substantiated are also likely to be referred to the federal police in a move that will likely mean several more years of investigation.