Aussie Iraq trainers 'will be targets'

By Liza Kappelle
February 20, 2007 08:05pm

A FORMER deputy commander of Australian SAS forces in Iraq says it is a mistake to send any military trainers to Iraq.

The Federal Government plans to send 70 more non-combat troops to train Iraqi security forces in May.

However, Peter Tinley, the newly endorsed Labor candidate for the West Australian marginal seat of Stirling, says the longer Australians are in Iraq the more they will become targets.

"The longer we are in the country the more we are going to contribute to sectarian violence because we will be presenting ourselves as a target. Why send an additional 70 targets?" he said.

Mr Tinley, who served as lead tactical planner for Australia's special forces in late 2002, says Australia should send trainers to help Iraq but not into the country itself.

Kuwait or Jordan would be better options, he said.

Mr Tinley has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq, which he describes as a "massive blunder" on strategic and moral grounds.

He says Prime Minister John Howard's move to send military trainers to Iraq is a ploy to "cauterise" the contentious Iraq issue before the federal election later this year.

"He is positioning to make sure he keeps in good with his alliance partner, (US President) George (W) Bush ... It will pave the way for him to certainly be offered opportunity by the Iraqi Government to withdraw the combat troops in the south."

This would allow the Prime Minister to claim to be supporting both the alliance and Iraq, he said.

Mr Tinley says Australian troops in Iraq should immediately be brought home.

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