Court martial for Aussie soldiers

Australian soldiers on duty in Afghanistan. File photo / AAP

Two Australian Army Reserve soldiers will face a Sydney general court martial in July charged with manslaughter over a 2009 Afghanistan incident in which six civilians died.

At a pre-trial hearing in Sydney today, a Judge Advocate said as applications had been foreshadowed for orders protecting the soldiers' identity, they would be referred to as first and second defendants.

Judge Advocate Brigadier Ian Westwood also referred to a Commonwealth application for protective orders relating to sensitive intelligence matters.

The court martial, set down for July 11, relates to an incident on February 12, 2009, when members of the Special Operations Task Group, operating in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, undertook a compound clearance operation.

Six civilian fatalities resulted from the operation.

Two Army Reserve soldiers, a lance corporal and a sergeant, have been charged with manslaughter.

In the alternative, they are charged with two counts of dangerous conduct with negligence as to consequence.

A Regular Army officer was also charged with failing to comply with a general order and in the alternative, prejudicial conduct.

That matter is expected to be dealt with after the court martial proceedings against the two Army Reserve soldiers.

The pre-trial hearing is continuing.

- AAP