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Military injustice: our troops should not be charged

07 Oct 05:55am

Filed under: Adf, Australian Military Court, International Criminal Court, Terrorism, War In Afghanistan

‘Stop firing’ screamed the Afghan interpreter metres away from a suspected Taliban leader as he emptied his magazine towards a small band of Australian commandos. As the walls exploded the insurgent responded by clipping on a fresh magazine and unloading it at them. The Australians returned fire and lobbed a grenade into the dark room.

ADF troops training Afghan soldiers in Tarin Kowt. Photo: Defence Department

The firing ceased. As they crept into the room they noticed a sight that will haunt them forever.

The suspected Taliban leader lay dead amongst a human shield comprising women and children.

Continue reading "Military injustice: our troops should not be charged" »

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Philip McNamara (Brigadier Rtd) says:

07:47am | 13/10/10

Charlie, Thanks for your thoughtful piece. I, like you, am outraged by the decision to charge these commandos. As the Honorary Colonel of the 1st Commando Regiment, a vietnam veteran, a former Commander Special Forces, a soldier of 35 years experience, and the father of a Special Forces soldier who… Read more »
Betrayed says:

07:00pm | 12/10/10

mmm - chain of command.. the people getting charged should be the top of the command structure - ie the politicians who sent our troops into this atrocious situation. Its like peter garrett not being charged under work cover when the people died during the roofing insulation fiasco. The buck… Read more »

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