Ben Roberts-Smith trial: soldier tells court at least two men pulled from tunnel in Afghanistan compound

Whiskey 108, a compound in Afghanistan, was raided by Australian troops in 2009. An SAS member has told the court two men pulled from the compound were unarmed. Photograph: federal court document

A serving SAS soldier has told a court that at least two men were pulled from a tunnel inside a compound being raided by Australian SAS troops during a 2009 clearance operation in Afghanistan, a mission that has since become a key element of the defamation trial brought by Ben Roberts-Smith.

Roberts-Smith is suing the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times for defamation over a series of ­reports he alleges are defamatory and portray him as committing war crimes, including murder. The newspapers are pleading a defence of truth. Roberts-Smith denies any wrongdoing.