Australian Troops in Afghanistan
Three Australian soldiers, the former members of the Special Operations Task Group are facing court martial, about to be charged over killing of six Afghan civilians in an accidental death that occurred during an armed conflict in Afghanistan.
The commandos were in Oruzgan province in Afghanistan going after a Taliban insurgent on the night of February 2009 believed to be in the residential compound with intelligence confirming no other people were in the building. One suspected insurgent and four children and a woman were killed with another two adults and two children were wounded.
According to senior military lawyer Barrister and RAAF’s High Readiness Specialist Reserve Squadron Leader, Ms Kathryn Cochrane, ‘this was not a deliberate targeting but an accident of war.’ It is not a criminal jurisdiction – but disciplinary jurisdiction. Ms Cochrane also emphasised the case should be decided by military operation members who understood the pressures faced by soldiers on the ground.
These boys in Afghanistan have risked their lives for the freedom of Afghanistan and its people and have put every moment of their lives for the service to their country and future of their families and fellow countrymen. They should not be misinterpreted for their accidental action in a conflict where Taliban insurgent have used and uses civilians as human targets for their own gain and to accuse and bring down the morale of the coalition troops and their campaign to crush the Taliban and the terrorists in the Afghanistan.
This was not a deliberate targeting of the civilians, but an accidental casualty and error does occur in place like Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgent often appears as Afghan civilians take the arm when they want to attack the coalition troops and throw the arms away when in danger and walk like every civilians in Afghanistan.
People in Canberra should remember that many Australian solider have given their lives in Afghanistan. Many more will, soldiers know the risk and because of them risking their lives people in Canberra who want to charge them are still alive and breathing and enjoying high and good lives. Australian troops are not risking their lives to be judge by people in Canberra who are ungrateful for their service for this country.
Charging three Australian soldiers at home will only encourage Taliban and the terrorists to use civilians as a human shield against the coalition troops in Afghanistan which will nothing but strengthen, help and boost terrorist activities and presence and create a setback in coalition mission in the Afghanistan.
