'It could be the rest of my life in prison' - Australian whistleblower

Ex-Australian military lawyer David McBride is facing 50 years behind bars for leaking hundreds of secret documents to the media in 2017 – which he says exposed the mismanagement of Australian forces in Afghanistan.

Australian police raided the offices of the national broadcaster twice last week over allegations it had published classified material, prompting complaints of assaults on press freedom.

The leaks revealed alleged cover ups of multiple incidents, including the killing of an Afghan boy and of a father and son shot dead during a raid. 

The documents also revealed growing unease at the culture within the Australian armed forces, including reports of "problems" within the army, of a growing "warrior culture and of senior officers turning a blind eye to poor behaviour."

McBride had two tours of Afghanistan, beginning in 2011, working with special forces as a military lawyer. McBride admits to leaking documents that formed part of the basis of an ABC investigation broadcast in 2017 about Australian special forces in Afghanistan. 

"We had a totally ruthless and cynical leadership who just happy .. .for soldier to die so they could look like leadership material," he told TRT World in an exclusive interview.

"We had lost any kind of moral compass. It had been totally replaced by the opinion poll and the spin doctors, and we were actually killing our own people. "

You can watch his full interview here.