Those who will not be put on trial as a result of investigations into Australian operations in Afghanistan will be those most responsible – the ministers who committed Australian troops to a protracted war where our forces could not readily distinguish friend from foe.
In apologising to the people of Afghanistan for the alleged behaviour of some Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, the Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell perpetuated the lie that successive governments have used to justify our presence in the country.
He said the alleged behaviour profoundly disrespected the trust placed in us by the Afghan people “who had asked us to their country to help them”.
Where might we find the invitation or the Afghanistan national plebiscite with an affirmative answer to the question: Would you like soldiers from Australia to come to fight in Afghanistan? Of course, there’s no such thing.
How did we get involved? We all know. On 11 September 2001 Al Qaeda terrorists (none of whom were Afghani, but 15 of whom were Saudi Arabian) hi-jacked planes and crashed into the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon.
In response, the Americans launched special forces raids into Afghanistan in an attempt to kill or capture Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his supporters who were held responsible for the attacks. Then prime minister John Howard dispatched Australian special forces to join the operation.
At the time Afghanistan was run by Islamic fundamentalists known as the Taliban. Much as we may not like them, the Taliban governed Afghanistan and at no time did they invite the Americans or the Australians, British or other foreign troops into their country. Over the years the mission changed from killing or capturing bin Laden, who it turned out had left Afghanistan early in the piece and holed up in Pakistan, to a mission to overthrow the Taliban.
To this day the Defence Department’s website dishonestly states: “Since 2001, Australia’s mission in Afghanistan has been to support the Afghan Government help contain the threat from international terrorism.”
Since the 1960s such lies seem to have been an essential part of the justification for Australian participation in invasive wars. Then prime minister Robert Menzies argued that we had to join the American war on Vietnam to stop the communist Chinese. Speaking in the House of Representatives on 29 April 1965 he claimed to have had a request from the South Vietnamese government for military assistance. In fact, he held no such request.
Even worse, Menzies was apparently unaware that the Vietnamese had a long history of resisting the Chinese. He did not know that the war was a continuation of the Vietnamese fight for independence from colonial control and he could not see, or did not care, that foreign fighters would inevitably come to be seen as the enemy.
Another Liberal PM, John Howard, took us to war in 2003 based on the lie that Iraq had an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. There was no UN authorisation for this invasion. If anyone should be put on trial for war crimes it those who co-sponsored this invasion — US president George W. Bush, British prime minister Tony Blair and Howard.
But we know it won’t happen, despite the thousands of lives lost and destruction of the region.
In these wars — Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan — social, cultural, religious and political differences and the actions of the troops ensure that foreign forces will never be seen as liberators. They will always be invaders.
In Afghanistan, serious casualty incidents emerged from early in the operation, as Brian Toohey documents in his book Secret. On 17 May 2002, Australian SAS troops mistakenly caused the death of at least 11 civilians wrongly assumed to be Al Qaeda members.
Then defence minister Robert Hill was confident they were Al Qaeda and told Toohey in a fax on 21 May 2002: “There are well-defined personnel identification matrices used by our special forces to identify al Qaeda. In general, the tactical behaviour and the weapons and equipment they are carrying are quite distinct from the behaviour and weapons carried by the local Afghan people.” But the following month the New York Times reported details of the clash and revealed that the Afghans involved were not Al Qaeda and were from two tribes opposed to the Taliban.
Coalition governments are not alone in feeling the need to ingratiate themselves with the Americans and blunder into these conflicts. Labor prime minister Julia Gillard, for example, enthusiastically supported Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan when she told parliament on 19 October 2010 that Australia would stay “for at least another decade”. In the following year, Western special forces maintained night-time raids on Afghan homes at the rate of 1,000 a month, actions hardly likely to be seen by the sufferers as friendly support.
Some effort might be made to determine how far up the chain of command the actions of the special forces soldiers who are alleged to have committed crimes, were transmitted and known. Possibly some action will be taken against those in command. Questions should also be asked of the dozen ASIS people in Afghanistan. Did they know of any of these alleged crimes? And if so what did they do about it?
The allegations also draw attention to the problems arising from secrecy and privileges given to agencies. Over recent years an increasing number, such as ASIO, the AFP, Australian Crime Commission has been given increased powers to question and detain in secret, opening the way to an abuse of power.
But equally, or more, important is the need to question the political processes and mindset that starts from the top with lies, half-truths and propaganda and ends with us engaged in war.
Today China is the subject of the US propaganda campaign and where the White House leads, Australia is sure to follow.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison may claim that Australia makes its own decisions on foreign policy but nowhere does he demonstrate this independence through his government’s actions. If he wanted this country to be seen as a sovereign nation he could start by pulling all our forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq and promising careful consideration before we join any other expeditionary ventures.
Paul Malone is a journalist with over 40 years experience, having worked for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review and the Canberra Times. He is a former Board member of the National Press Club; a former Treasurer of the Australian Journalists Association (ACT) Branch; and a former member of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Committee.
Paul Malone has a long-running interest in Borneo. His book The Peaceful People: The Penan and their fight for the forest was published in 2014 by Gerakbudaya, Malaysia.
Comments
14 responses to “Ministerial war crimes”
I remember it took years for us general public to see the evidence that Menzies had received no South Vietnamese invitation to partake in the Vietnam war. It took no time to see the Iraq War 2 excuse was a fabrication, but Howard ignored the very large protests. Unfortunately the Afghanistan war was UN-sanctioned, although I didn’t know the recent claim it was an “invitation”, as in the Chief of the ADF’s statement. Howard started the militarisation campaign; no “peace keeping” training, at which the ADF had done well, was countenanced again. The War memorial is a disgrace, as I saw at first hand a decade ago. But the move to make the legislature debate and hold the executive to account for declarations of war is a good one. The military line management is “responsible” for the alleged war crimes, but grey areas exist. Naval ethics were traduced by Howard and Morrison with asylum seekers. Does anyone have ideas? Please not the conspiracy person though.
..Gamma Soldiers..
I wonder why I asked the sky
The infantry can justify
Their peace with war where infants die
In a never-ending, game of soldiers:
“With a mind one-tracked”, the sky shot back
By exponent-driven heroism
Through atavistic thoughts misgiven
To fathers bias in denial
Of a never-ending, game of soldiers:
Take uniform and flag and schism
Make oath and troth to rags and isms
Leave numinous sloughed up in prisions
Of the never-ending, game of soldiers:
Dehumanise and demonise
They’re only targets win that prize
You don’t repent you rationalise
The never-ending, game of soldiers:
Strike that light ignite that fuse
Confirm to peers…..ignis fatuus
Let ignorance be your excuse
For the never-ending, game of soldiers:
It’s alright son you’ve done your best
Pin this tin medal to your chest
Good folk are all congratulating
Another batch of graduating
Fully baked indoctrinated
Deadset brainwashed…Gamma Soldiers:
absit omen …..the conspiracy person.
“….those most responsible – the ministers who committed Australian troops to a protracted war where our forces could not readily distinguish friend from foe”.
What I’ve for too many years found so galling is how, the still revered in Liberal circles, Howard (aka, the lying rodent) and Downer (aka, Lord Downer of Baghdad) and various “bag carrying” elite hangers on accomplices, have completely gotten away with their complicity in initiating these crimes of the century, namely the Iraq and Afghanistan catastrophes. And it is perhaps to our everlasting national shame, that collectively, we have allowed them to get away with it.
Best We Forget?
As one of the conscripts who ‘won the lottery’ and was sent to Vietnam fifty years ago courtesy of Bob Menzies lies, I will never have any faith in the nonsense the LNP Governments have fed us over the last seven decades or so since he and his successors committed us to a series of U.S. inspired wars in Asia and the Middle East. The blame for this hideous episode in Afghanistan lies fairly and squarely on the heads of these clowns, none of whom have seen the horrors of war.
Like almost all Veterans, my family and I pay the price daily in mental and physical health issues that arose out of my ‘service’ to the country. The fight to receive ‘compensation’ from DVA for war related health issues was a war in its self!
Absolutely correct. Not until John Dubya Howard and his henchmen – and later incarnations such as the suppository-of-wisdom are locked up will I be satisfied that some justice has been done – apart from taking their personal assets/property, too – and making use of it to compensate at least monetarily the families in Afghanistan so appallingly treated by the SAS bullies/thugs.
Ministerial War Crimes? …. And perpetuated journalistic war crimes it seems.
This thing, by Paul Malone; is swinging on a disproven, 20 year old presentation of an exponent driven lie.
The pathetic, Saudi Terrorist hijackers flying planes into buildings shtick … as broadcast simultaneously on every TV all over the planet at the time.
Ministerial War Crimes? When War is the raison d’etre; there is no crime in the National conscience; only these ineffective virtue signalling reports after the murderous events.
War criminal John Howard? ….”Come to New York John and watch the show John” you can go down in history.
Then go to Bali John for the occidental symposium at the Sari Club.
If that doesn’t get the Aussie punters on board nothing will.
It’s all ámoral and pragmatic John .. and Raytheon is picking up the tab.
War Criminal John Anderson? Enough said.
These post hoc appeals to some national conscience over propter hoc credulity, are disgusting.
Self disgust of course is not in the make up of the career journalist.
To get the truth to the intimidated, on the cause of the particular wars in deposition here .. you have to first find the truth of how the ruins of cruelty on the corner of Church and Liberty Streets were created.
That empirical, evidential truth is here: “WHERE DID THE TOWERS GO?” By Dr Judy Wood Ph.D.
And also plenty of extant videos of the material disassociating cascade. Watch and confess.
When the penny drops from those revelations, the consideration of who could only have the Technology to create the dynamic you saw, but were not allowed to believe because the media has control of your ears, will be what they be.
The reactions of the then initiated; will cover all deliberations and behaviours from denial, to the numinous ..or to the refuge of Stockholm Syndrome.
If your reaction to this mass murder is like mine, you sadly will have joined me in the ranks of the damned.
If we survive this never-ending game of soldiers .. history books may enter the architectural, symbolic remainders at the lobby of the twin towers as the Menorahan Period:
….absit omen
…..al jebr…
(the reunion of fragments)
The patriot hasn’t sussed it yet
But émbusques’ smirk on their TV sets
Was the missing piece of the jigsaw jets:
Dr Greg Jenkins attempts rational discussion with Dr Judy Woods in 2007 at the National Press Club event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZY30q4OLAE
So Greg Jenkins is the comfortable point you stopped your inquiries Bob?
These military murders and these war crime stories are predicated on that event Bob.
These are my betes noires Bob….if you want to play you had better dig deeper into the rubble that didn’t blow away on the New York Breeze on that day.
If posting links are kosher …. then go to 9/11 Alchemy on youtube.
Go to nomoregames.net by Morgan Reynolds.
But better still, for the inquiring mind I know you have Bob, go to the book, “WHERE DID THE TOWERS GO?” By Dr. Judy Wood Ph. D.
Read it Bob, what have you got to lose?
So Greg Jenkins is the comfortable point you stopped your inquiries Bob?
These military murders and these war crime stories are predicated on that event Bob.
These are my betes noires Bob….if you want to play you had better dig deeper into the rubble that didn’t blow away on the New York Breeze on that day.
If posting links are kosher …. then go to 9/11 Alchemy on youtube.
Go to nomoregames.net by Morgan Reynolds.
But better still, for the inquiring mind I know you have Bob, go to the book, “WHERE DID THE TOWERS GO?” By Dr. Judy Wood Ph. D.
Read it Bob, what have you got to lose?
“….those most responsible – the ministers who committed Australian troops to a protracted war where our forces could not readily distinguish friend from foe”.
What I have for too many years found so galling is how, the still revered, especially in Liberal circles, Howard (aka, the lying rodent) and Downer (aka, Lord Downer of Baghdad) and various “bag carrying” elite hangers on accomplices, have completely gotten away with their complicity in the initiation of these crimes of the century, namely the Iraq and Afghanistan catastrophes.
And it is to our everlasting shame, that collectively, we have allowed them to get away with it.
Best We Forget?
I think the evidence shows that the U.S. planned to knock off Iraq and Afghanistan prior to September 11. Capturing Bin Laden and weapons of mass destruction were the excuses used to sell the invasions to the gullible public. Apologies to the victims of our atrocities are all very well but it would have been better for us and the afghans and Iraqis if we’d never committed to these wars in the first place. Of course the instigators have command responsibility and should be on trial for war crimes but they are too powerful and nearly untouchable. It won’t happen.
The “evidence” or a part of it was the P.N.A.C. Gang and their paladins that internally took control of US government, used the Christian fundamentalist gurus, illegal voting, and all the other de rigueur tricks to get G. W, Bush elected.
He ( Bush) wasn’t quite sure why they wanted him president; until 11/9/2001.
Quite the space oddity and I’m sure Stanley Kubrick is resting in peace but… “You’re either with us or against us” Said the ambush man ..He didn’t add the seven countries in seven years bit of the P.N.A.C. prospectus though.
We send our children off to war, get them killed and injured; have them kill and injure people they know nothing about ….and then we repent with denial and a game of two-up.
Then get up and do it again ..amen.
…Not The Conspiracy Person…
Hooked up on a crook
The king has been rooked
And is in no position to wrangle.
The bishop it seems
Bows down to the queen
While knights cover most of the angles.
All the pawns in their ranks
One step forward for thanks
For the medals and memories et al
And if you’ll be-my bodyguard
I can be your long-lost pal
And if I-can call you Betty
Betty when you call me you can call me Al:
:apologies to Paul Simon.
Menzies sent Australian troops into the Vietnam debacle supporting imperialism by the USA (United States of Apartheid) to assuage his guilty conscience for resigning his Australian Army commission on the first day of WWI. There has been a Liarbral PM every time Australia has been sent to war and none of them had any war experience.
At the risk of being repetitive in my opinion this article by James Meek in the LRB sums up the futility (and illegality) of the Afghan obscenity the best.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n24/james-meek/worse-than-a-defeat