Australian SAS officers knew about unlawful ‘throwdowns’ on dead Afghans, report says
Published . Updated .
Nothing done to stop planting weapons on dead Afghans, ADF inspector says, as ‘breakdown of command’ allowed ‘egregious behaviour’ Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Some Australian SAS officers knew that soldiers under their command were using “throwdowns” – planting weapons on dead Afghan civilians to portray them as combatants – but did nothing to stop the unlawful practice, a previously unpublished military report has said. Posted online this week, the executive summary of a 2021 investigation into the “cultural context” of the special operations command by the inspector general of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) is scathing about the “breakdown of command” and the erosion of military discipline during special forces operations in Afghanistan, which “resulted in episodes of potential and actual egregious behaviour”. Continue reading...
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-4.2% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “defence” (defense) in this story.
- XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF-7.3% 30d
SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “defence” (defense) in this story.
- EWA iShares MSCI Australia ETF+2.2% 30d
iShares MSCI Australia ETF holds stocks listed in Australia, which this story is about (“australian”).
- LMT Lockheed Martin+16.0% 30d
Lockheed Martin (guided missiles and space vehicles and parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “defence” (defense) in this story.
- RTX Rtx-0.4% 8d
Rtx (aircraft engines and engine parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “defence” (defense) in this story.
- NOC Northrop Grumman+5.1% 30d
Northrop Grumman (search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical sys): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “defence” (defense) in this story.
- GD General Dynamics-1.4% 30d
General Dynamics (ship and boat building and repairing): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “defence” (defense) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA | -1.57% | -0.30% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XARNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| EWANo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LMT | -6.34% | +0.84% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| RTX | -0.76% | +0.70% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| NOC | -0.06% | +2.35% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| GD | -1.00% | +0.77% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Market Call
Think this story will push the stock up or down over the next three trading days? Make a free call and see what other readers think. Points are play money with no cash value.
Nothing done to stop planting weapons on dead Afghans, ADF inspector says, as ‘breakdown of command’ allowed ‘egregious behaviour’ Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Some Australian SAS officers knew that soldie…
Source: The Guardian
Defense
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GD | three days earlier | +0.77% | final price |
| GD | five days earlier | -1.00% | final price |
| ITA | three days earlier | -0.30% | final price |
| ITA | five days earlier | -1.57% | final price |
| LMT | three days earlier | +0.84% | final price |
| LMT | five days earlier | -6.34% | final price |
| NOC | three days earlier | +2.35% | final price |
| NOC | five days earlier | -0.06% | final price |
| RTX | three days earlier | +0.70% | final price |
| RTX | five days earlier | -0.76% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 35 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 35 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 17 Sep 2026. That is 41 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, sold RTX, worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Jul 2026. That is 89 days before publication. Filed 22 Sep 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
How solid the defense case looks
12 out of 100
“Australian SAS officers knew about unlawful ‘throwdowns’ on dead Afghans, report says” scores 12 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources.