Australian who blew whistle on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan pleads guilty

David McBride, a former army lawyer who revealed information about alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan, has pleaded guilty to leaking classified information.

David McBride was due to face trial next week, but changed his plea after a legal ruling scuppered his defence, BBC reported. McBride said he felt a moral duty to speak up after his internal complaints were ignored. A landmark inquiry later found evidence that Australian forces had unlawfully killed 39 Afghans during the war.