Ben Roberts-Smith attends Canberra event honouring Australian troops who served in Afghanistan

Anthony Albanese speaks at Australian War Memorial event commemorating 25th anniversary of country’s involvement in the conflict

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Anthony Albanese has honoured Australian troops who served in Afghanistan, using the 25th anniversary of the country’s involvement in the conflict to describe their heroism as a fight for “who we are as a people”.

The prime minister joined hundreds of veterans, family members and dignitaries at a commemoration of the start of the campaign in Canberra on Sunday, with nation’s most decorated living soldier and accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith among the crowd at the Australian War Memorial.