IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry

The IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry commenced in 2016 after rumours and allegations relating to possible breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict by members of the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan over the period 2005 to 2016 were referred to the IGADF.

The Inquiry was conducted at arm’s length from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) chain-of-command and Government to ensure the independence and integrity of the process.

In November 2020, the IGADF delivered the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry Report to the Chief of the Defence Force. The public release version of the Inquiry Report is below.

Support services are available to those affected by the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry whether they are current or former serving ADF personnel or their families.

Fact-finding into allegations about the conduct of the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry

In August 2025, a complaint concerning allegations about the conduct of the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry was referred to the IGADF.

An independent fact-finding review was conducted by the Honourable Alan Blow AO KC, former Chief Justice of Tasmania, and Mr Michael Griffin AM, former Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner.

Their review examined not only the complaint itself but also complaints about the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry raised across a range of public forums, including social media, podcasts, media reporting, legal correspondence, published material, and public submissions to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. The reviewers also reviewed IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry records, including witness audio recordings and interview transcripts.

The review made 20 findings, all of which rejected the substance of the allegations. The reviewers found no evidence of bullying, intimidation, abuse, improper coercion, deliberate psychological harm, procedural unfairness, or bias in the conduct of the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry.

A summary of the review is below. The full report cannot be published because it includes IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry evidence.