Australia asks China to apologise for 'repugnant' fake image, urges Twitter to remove post

Amid the escalating political tensions between Canberra and Beijing, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has demanded China to apologise for posting a “repugnant” image on Twitter that depicted an Australian soldier murdering an Afghan child. In a televised address, Morrison said that Beijing should be “utterly ashamed” for sharing the fake image. Further, Australia also demanded the micro-blogging website to remove the post from its platform, describing it as “disinformation”. 

Morrison’s comments come after China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao on Monday posted a doctored image which portrayed an Australian soldier with a bloody knife next to a child. The kid is seen holding a lamb. In the tweet, Zhao wrote that China “strongly condemns” such acts and calls for holding them accountable. 

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the image appeared to be a reference to unsubstantiated rumours that Australian soldiers used knives to murder two Afghans teenagers. However, the inquiry found no evidence to support the rumours. The recent tweet by Zhao also comes after a report found that 25 Australian soldiers were allegedly involved in the murders of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013. 

READ: China Accuses Australia Of Harming National Interest

Australian army discharge 13 soldiers 

A four-year review led by Maj. Gen. Justice Paul Brereton is reported to have uncovered cases of war crimes committed in Afghanistan by Australian armed forces. The inquiry revealed that Australian special forces officers, who were deployed as part of NATO in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016, killed at least 39 people. The report has dubbed the killings as 'blooding', a practice where subordinates are asked by their seniors to execute prisoners in order to get their first kill in service. According to the report, there is evidence that victims were not combatants and in some case teenagers. 

The findings from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) inquiry sparked widespread condemnation and are now being investigated by police. The Australian Navy has also begun proceedings to dismiss 13 troopers serving within the pressure. At an informative convention on November 27, the chief of the Australian military Lt. Gen. Rick Burr said that the troopers had been issued administrative motion notices in relation to the Afghanistan inquiry, which would terminate their service in two weeks unless they successfully appealed. 

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