Australian federal police abandon two alleged murder investigations into Ben Roberts-Smith

The long-running investigations into murder allegations in Afghanistan will be replaced by new inquiries because of concerns about evidence

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Two key criminal investigations into alleged murders involving Ben Roberts-Smith have been abandoned by the Australian federal police because of concerns over potentially inadmissible evidence.

The long-running investigations - into murder allegations at a compound codenamed Whiskey 108 and in the southern Afghan village of Darwan - will be replaced by new inquiries undertaken by a new joint taskforce, staffed by officials from the Office of the Special Investigator and federal police investigators not previously connected to the cases.