NZ Soldiers in Afghanistan photograph selves with bomb

Photos of New Zealand soldiers posing with a 2000 pound bomb were released to the media last weekend. The soldiers had written "Dear Taleban, enjoy this" on the bomb as well as adorning it with a sticker advertising energy drink maker Demon Drinks. The company regularly runs competitions for consumers to send in "humorous and entertaining photos". The sticker included the drinks' slogan- “no limits, no laws”. The day before the photos were published, between 60 and 70 civilians died in an air strike in the Char Dara district of Kunduz province.

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With UN figures estimating that 800 civilians were killed between January and May this year- a 24 percent increase from the same period in 2008, the behaviour of these soldiers was in extremely bad taste. It pales in comparison to the actions of the “elite” Special Air Services (SAS) who since 2002 have transferred 50-70 prisoners to the Americans at the Kandahar detention centre in southern Afghanistan. The centre was known by US soldiers as "Camp Slappy", and prisoners there have described being severely beaten and tortured, drenched with water and left to freeze outside in winter. New Zealand stands accused of creating "ghost detainees" by handing prisoners to the Americans without recording their names.

Afghanistan is now New Zealand's longest foreign military deployment in history, in addition to the SAS soldiers there is also a “provincial reconstruction team” operating in the country. In a recent poll public opinion was evenly split on whether or not the country should have redeployed the SAS, 47% were in favour, 44% were opposed with the rest undecided. If more information comes out about possible New Zealand involvement in torture, while soldiers stick “no limits, no laws” stickers on bombs before they are dropped, then it wont be long before a majority of people are opposed to involvement in the occupation.