Australia probes claims soldiers abused Afghan prisoners
AP , Sydney: May 9 2008
Made Popular May 9 2008
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Australia is investigating allegations that its soldiers mistreated suspected insurgents in prison in Afghanistan, the military said Friday.

A senior Afghan National Army commander made the allegations during a weekend meeting with NATO-led International Security Assistance Force officers, the Australian Defense Force said in a statement.

An investigation was ordered by the head of Australia’s military, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. The military would not give details of the allegations except to say they related to the treatment of four suspected insurgents.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported the allegations were made by four members of the Taliban who were taken into custody after an Australian soldier was killed during an April 27 battle in the restive Uruzgan province.

“We take all of these claims very seriously and have consistently shown our willingness to be part of investigations into these matters,” Maj. Gen. Michael Hindmarsh, the Australian National Commander for the Middle East, said in the statement.

“Our troops are well-versed in their procedures regarding the safe and humane treatment of detainees, and we take our legal obligations in this regard extremely seriously,” the statement said.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the outcome of the investigation would be reported to him.

Australia joined the U.S.-led campaign to unseat the Taliban regime from power in 2001, and still has about 1,000 troops in Afghanistan.

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1 Stars
War. People hurt other people. People abuse other people. When enemy combatants are caught they often get a good hard kicking from their captors. Is this wrong ? Or right ? As long as people continue to kill each other this will happen.

If the Talibs shelter in houses or mosques with civilians so that the civilians will be killed and serve a propaganda role, is this not more wrong ?

The most striking thing in this article is the yellow cars. How dull and grey the world is, save for these two yellow cars. Has that image been altered ? Would anyone be brazen enough to drive such loudly coloured vehicles in a such a drab landscape ? Would a tattoo of a bullet between one’s eyes be so much more efficient ?
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