Accused war hero Ben Roberts-Smith attends Canberra ceremony marking 25 years in Afghanistan

Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient now accused of five war-crime murders, travelled to Canberra to join a service at the Australian War Memorial marking a quarter-century since Australia began operations in Afghanistan. He attended the ceremony in full dress, having previously been granted bail to attend a memorial wing opening earlier in the year. The ceremony commemorated Operation Slipper and featured remarks from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, former prime ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison, and opposition leader Angus Taylor.

Notable attendees included SAS veteran Andrew Hastie and the Enchong family, highlighted for being the first father-son-daughter trio to serve together in Afghanistan. The memorial noted that 37 Australians died in the conflict, and a new Afghanistan gallery and commemorative coin were unveiled for attendees.