Afghan soldier who killed 3 Australians released by Qatar

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Officials say an Afghan army deserter who murdered three Australian soldiers has been released from custody in Qatar and his whereabouts are not known. The soldier known as Hekmatullah fled after shooting dead the Australian soldiers and wounding two others on a base in 2012 and was sentenced to death in 2013. The Australian government said “Hekmatullah should serve a just and proportionate sentence” without early release or pardon. Hekmatullah had been transferred from Afghanistan to Qatar last year in a deal brokered by the United States ahead of peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban. The Qatari government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.