SAS soldier disciplined over Afghan killings
By Tom Iggulden for Lateline
The Defence Department has confirmed reports that an Australian SAS soldier was disciplined after an operation in Afghanistan that killed at least 11 Afghani villagers, and in which personal effects were souvenired from one of the dead.
The report is contained in an article in an upcoming issue of Time magazine.
In May 2002, a patrol of crack Australian SAS troops were operating in eastern Afghanistan and were discovered by an armed villager who, according to the soldiers, drew a weapon.
It was, in the words of one of the soldiers who fought that day, the last thing the villager ever did. He was shot, sparking a battle that lasted into the night with men from two local villages.
"We think it's at least nine that were killed in an air strike and then there was at least two who died as a result of, I think, SAS fire in an earlier engagement," said Time magazine journalist Rory Callinan, who broke the story.
"It could be more than two, we're just not 100 per cent sure about those figures.
"Once the patrol's been compromised, you know, with the sound of shooting and the confusion, I suppose the fog of war, there's been tragic consequences."
After beating a retreat from the initial engagement, one of the soldiers was forced back to the site of the fight to recover a camera he had taken on patrol against army orders.
According to the article, he then souvenired a turban from one of the dead villagers, in contravention of the rules of engagement. The leader of the patrol, who spoke to Time for the story, has since left the Army, citing his unease with how the matter was handled.
"He appears to be a very professional person who has been absolutely devastated by this incident, and to this day - I mean, it's nearly three years on or just over three years since it's happened - he's still incensed about it, I guess," Mr Callinan said.
The Chief of the Defence Force, Peter Cosgrove, has confirmed disciplinary action had been taken as a result of actions on that day.
"Tactical actions were reviewed after the incident and were determined by Army to be in accordance with the rules of engagement," he told a Senate estimates hearing.
"Some internal aspects of Patrol Kilo 3 were investigated fully at the time, and appropriate disciplinary action was initiated."
"For the protection of our soldiers the ADF does not normally publicly discuss the details of internal investigations and any disciplinary actions taken.
"We treat these issues confidentially in order to allow the correct and appropriate application of military law."
Australian Defence Association executive director Neil James has defended the Government's handling of the matter.
"Look, I don't find anything strange in this at all. I mean, when the military is in combat, you expect quite confused situations, and there's really nothing in this story that would really excite anyone who takes a professional interest in either soldiering or military history," he said.
Mr James says it is important for the SAS to be allowed to operate without excessive public scrutiny.
"Now, people can't sit here in armchairs, years afterwards, taking an antiseptic look at things. You really have to trust the decisions of the people on the ground when you put them in that type of combat situation," he said.
Defence Minister Robert Hill has declined to comment on the issue.
http://abc.net.au/news/default.htm
By Tom Iggulden for Lateline
The Defence Department has confirmed reports that an Australian SAS soldier was disciplined after an operation in Afghanistan that killed at least 11 Afghani villagers, and in which personal effects were souvenired from one of the dead.
The report is contained in an article in an upcoming issue of Time magazine.
In May 2002, a patrol of crack Australian SAS troops were operating in eastern Afghanistan and were discovered by an armed villager who, according to the soldiers, drew a weapon.
It was, in the words of one of the soldiers who fought that day, the last thing the villager ever did. He was shot, sparking a battle that lasted into the night with men from two local villages.
"We think it's at least nine that were killed in an air strike and then there was at least two who died as a result of, I think, SAS fire in an earlier engagement," said Time magazine journalist Rory Callinan, who broke the story.
"It could be more than two, we're just not 100 per cent sure about those figures.
"Once the patrol's been compromised, you know, with the sound of shooting and the confusion, I suppose the fog of war, there's been tragic consequences."
After beating a retreat from the initial engagement, one of the soldiers was forced back to the site of the fight to recover a camera he had taken on patrol against army orders.
According to the article, he then souvenired a turban from one of the dead villagers, in contravention of the rules of engagement. The leader of the patrol, who spoke to Time for the story, has since left the Army, citing his unease with how the matter was handled.
"He appears to be a very professional person who has been absolutely devastated by this incident, and to this day - I mean, it's nearly three years on or just over three years since it's happened - he's still incensed about it, I guess," Mr Callinan said.
The Chief of the Defence Force, Peter Cosgrove, has confirmed disciplinary action had been taken as a result of actions on that day.
"Tactical actions were reviewed after the incident and were determined by Army to be in accordance with the rules of engagement," he told a Senate estimates hearing.
"Some internal aspects of Patrol Kilo 3 were investigated fully at the time, and appropriate disciplinary action was initiated."
"For the protection of our soldiers the ADF does not normally publicly discuss the details of internal investigations and any disciplinary actions taken.
"We treat these issues confidentially in order to allow the correct and appropriate application of military law."
Australian Defence Association executive director Neil James has defended the Government's handling of the matter.
"Look, I don't find anything strange in this at all. I mean, when the military is in combat, you expect quite confused situations, and there's really nothing in this story that would really excite anyone who takes a professional interest in either soldiering or military history," he said.
Mr James says it is important for the SAS to be allowed to operate without excessive public scrutiny.
"Now, people can't sit here in armchairs, years afterwards, taking an antiseptic look at things. You really have to trust the decisions of the people on the ground when you put them in that type of combat situation," he said.
Defence Minister Robert Hill has declined to comment on the issue.
http://abc.net.au/news/default.htm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 9:13 AM
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