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AUSTRALIA-AFGHANISTAN-DEFENCE-MILITARY
Uproar over Australian army vehicle flying swastika flag
SYDNEY, June 14, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Australian army vehicle flew a Nazi
swastika flag during an operation in Afghanistan, the prime minister
confirmed Thursday in an act he called “completely and utterly unacceptable”.
National broadcaster ABC published a leaked photo of the 2007 incident and
cited a defence source as saying it was more a “twisted joke” than evidence
of genuine neo-Nazism.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said displaying a Nazi flag was “absolutely
wrong”.
“Completely and utterly unacceptable,” he told reporters. “It was reported
(to officials) in 2007, that incident, and the flag obviously was removed and
the personnel involved were disciplined,” he told reporters.
“But the incident, it was wrong … it was absolutely wrong, and their
commanders took action at the time.”
The defence department said in a statement to AFP that “neither the flag
nor its use are in line with defence values”.
“The flag was briefly raised above an Australian Army vehicle in
Afghanistan in 2007. The commander took immediate action to have the
offensive flag taken down,” it said, adding that it was later destroyed and
those involved cautioned.
“Additionally, steps were taken to reinforce education and training for all
personnel who witnessed the flag.”
Australian forces have been active in Afghanistan in various roles since
2001, when the conflict there began. Around 900 were in the country in 2007,
predominately in Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces.
The photograph has emerged as the actions of Australia’s special forces in
Afghanistan come under intense scrutiny.
Earlier this month, elite troops were accused of committing war crimes in a
secret defence report obtained by local media that described a “complete lack
of accountability” from top military brass.
The investigation, reported by Fairfax Media, quoted special forces
insiders saying some Australian troops engaged in the “unsanctioned and
illegal application of violence on operations” with “a disregard for human
dignity”.
In response, Australia’s former spy chief David Irvine was appointed last
week to conduct a third inquiry into the nation’s special forces in two
years.
Some 300 Australian defence personnel remain in Afghanistan.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0945 hrs