For the first time in Australia’s history, a former special forces soldier will stand trial for war crimes — a case that has gripped the nation and sparked deep questions about accountability, loyalty, and the moral limits of combat.
Oliver Schulz, 43, a decorated SAS veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, is accused of murdering an unarmed farmer, Dad Mohammad, during a mission in Uruzgan province in 2012. The alleged killing, caught on helmet-camera footage, shows Schulz firing three rounds into the villager after an SAS dog was called off from attacking him. The victim, prosecutors say, was lying on the ground and posed no threat.
The footage reportedly captures Schulz saying three times, “You want me to drop this c—?” before firing. Mohammad, just in his twenties, left behind a wife, a newborn, and a toddler.
The mission, codenamed Objective Young Akira, was designed to target a Taliban insurgent. Instead, according to the prosecution, it ended with the deliberate killing of a man later described by villagers as a farmer with a disability. Military investigators at the time cleared Schulz, citing intelligence that Mohammad had been carrying a radio and “tactically manoeuvring.” But the resurfacing of the footage years later, broadcast by ABC in 2020, forced the case back into the open.
Schulz was arrested in New South Wales in March 2023 and charged under the Commonwealth Criminal Code with the war crime of murder — defined as knowingly or recklessly killing a non-combatant. If convicted, he faces a life sentence.
After nearly 18 months of legal delays, a Sydney magistrate has now committed the case to trial at the Supreme Court, scheduled to begin in October. The decision follows testimony from Australian Defence Force witnesses, who confirmed the video was shown repeatedly during the committal hearing.
The case has ignited fierce debate in Australia. On one hand, Schulz is a soldier who risked his life in multiple deployments, once commended for gallantry. On the other, the allegations — and the footage — point to an act that, if proven, crosses the line from battlefield necessity to unlawful execution.
He has been stood down from duty since the footage aired, with then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison describing it as “shocking.” Schulz remains free on bail, with authorities citing concerns that he would be at risk of retaliation inside prison.
This trial will be precedent-setting. It forces Australia to confront a question that haunts every democracy that sends soldiers to war: where does valor end and accountability begin?
