Charges against Aussie SAS soldier

A former Australian soldier in the Special Air Service has reportedly been charged following investigations into alleged misconduct in East Timor.

The charges are believed to relate to allegations from October 1999 when a battle broke out near the town of Suai between a SAS patrol and members of an Indonesian-backed militia opposed to independence.

The investigation focused on whether a militia member was killed in an execution style shooting, whether there was misuse of the corpses of two militia who died, and whether militia were beaten or mistreated during interrogation.