by Dee McLachlan
The Age today was filled with several double spreads of the allegations against the SASR soldier that allegedly kicked a detainee — Ali Jan, a shepherd — off a cliff in Afghanistan, and then ordered his ‘execution’. Quoting from an article in The Age this morning. It begins:
” The Australian Special Forces soldier led his prisoner towards a ridge above a dry creek bed near the Afghan village of Darwan…
“It was September 11, 2012 — 11 years to the day after planes piloted by al-Qaeda ploughed into the World Trade Centre in New York, causing Australia to enter what would become of the nation’s longest war.”
OK, stop right there. Drones were flown into the WTC — and they were not controlled by al-Qaeda.
Let me start by asking this question: who is the greater wrongdoer — the SASR soldier, nicknamed ‘Leonadis’ — or the politicians that sent him to war? I not going to defend this soldier’s actions as he did not follow the ‘rules of engagement’ — but he did what he was trained to do: KILL (or be killed).
If this soldier’s egregious action is being reported correctly, it’s indefensible. But I’d say he and others were spurred on by the constant tone of vengeance that comes from the MSM and our politicians. They hype up public hatred and revenge in such a way, that if you were a soldier cycled into the “hunt”, it might be seen as a justifiable crossing of the line, “to compensate for the evils of 9-11.”
The only problem – the Aussie soldiers were on the wrong continent. They should’ve looked over their shoulders for the real culprits.
Whom should Ali Jan’s (then pregnant) wife blame? Leonadis or former prime minister John Howard? I imagine Leonadis has the blood of several innocents on his hands, but Howard has the blood of thousands.
The Big Lie
How could Australia’s intelligence agencies, the mainstream media, and nearly all the politicians in Canberra have got it so wrong? Did not one person – one single human being — in any of these organisations recognize that George Bush’s story did not add up?
What about the ‘demolition’ of Building 7? Was it not the responsibility of ASIO to inform Canberra that something was possibly amiss?
Recall that within hours of the attack on the Twin Towers, Osama bin Laden was labelled the wrongdoer. Surely Bin Laden was not the culprit, but even if he was, is it reasonable to bomb the country where he was temporarily residing – back to the Stone Age?
When SASR soldier Leonadis kicked the shepherd off the cliff — he didn’t stop and investigate the facts, or consider his actions, before executing an innocent man. He was just following those above him — BY EXAMPLE.
Canberra followed blindly into Afghanistan, and then even more shockingly into Iraq — resulting in the deaths of more than a million Iraqis. A consequence of that was the displacement of many more people, the chaotic state of society, and easy recruitment of men into terrorist gangs.
According to reports from the UN High Commission on Refugees,
“…more than 16 million refugees and 60 million displaced persons around the world today… The wars in Syria and Iraq have produced the greatest share of the Middle East’s refugees in recent years, but many more have fled wars and failed states in Afghanistan, Libya…”
The catastrophic outcome of governmental decisions is mind-boggling. Yet the person on ‘trial’ is the rogue soldier.
Canberra should be on trial.
The Shepherd and the Rogue Soldier
The cliff-execution took place five years ago but rumors about the soldier’s misbehaviour took a while to harden into evidence. The reason it has cropped up is that there is an Inquiry going on.
This is how The Sydney Morning Herald recounts the saga:
“The day before, he’d [the shepherd] travelled by donkey to Darwan to get flour. He’d left his pregnant wife, Bibi, and seven young children behind, telling them he’d be back soon… He planned to return home the next morning
“But when the sun rose on what was to be the last day of Ali Jan’s life, it revealed a group of heavily armed Australian soldiers sweeping through Darwan on a manhunt. They were searching for a rogue Afghan National Army sergeant called Hekmatullah who, days earlier, shot dead three unarmed and unsuspecting diggers and injured two others as they played cards inside a coalition patrol base.
“…Hoping to find any trace of his whereabouts, they began arresting dozens of local men for questioning. At some point, Ali Jan was also detained.”
Apparently Fairfax Media has spent months looking into Ali Jan’s fate as part of broader investigation into the behaviour of SASR forces in Afghanistan.
Fairfax uses an unusual phrase to indicate that the investigation is not welcomed by all: “among the special forces soldiers risking their careers to brief Fairfax reporters” are some who are also giving evidence to the Inquiry. Let’s hope they do indeed take that risk and not give answers calculated to save those careers.
But Fairfax goes on to say that the special inquiry into the actions of Australians in Afghanistan is run “by a Supreme Court judge with the backing of top military officials.”
Blaming the “Culture”
Now, this incident — a war crime — is expanding into blaming the entire culture. Of course it’s a culture, and now the trusted fighting force is being questioned.
Last year (12 July 2017), the ABC produced a piece with the title. ‘Land, kill and leave’: How Australian special forces helped lose the war in Afghanistan. It contains details a whistle blower’s testimony.
“According to our military leaders, the reason for Australia’s presence in Uruzgan province between 2001 and 2014 was to “clear, hold and build” a Taliban-free Afghanistan… At some point it seems that this strategic guidance either failed or was wholly ignored.
“By 2010, much of the task group was solely focused on so-called “high-value targeting” — the coalition’s effort to kill or capture an ever-growing list of local Taliban ‘commanders’… the entire concept of operations switch[ed] from ‘clear, hold and build’ to ‘land, kill and leave’.
If the mission was to kill, I think it is natural that soldiers would start to “morph” with stress. I served in the army (in South Africa) for a year, but it was in peace-time; we never saw conflict. I’m interested to hear the thoughts of some of our readers who served during not-peaceful times.
To continue with the SMH article: above:
“But by the end of 2016… one SASR soldier was being whispered about more than most… One SASR officer, to himself, called this man ‘Leonidas’, after a fearsome warrior of ancient Sparta. Leonidas was part of the sweep through Darwan on September 11, 2012. And it was Leonidas who had allegedly led Ali Jan to the edge.
“A warrior culture was being embraced by some special forces troops but loathed by others. It involved tattoos and a devotion to the Hollywood movie 300, which glorifies the fighting prowess of the ancient Spartans, and whose climactic moment involves an enemy soldier being kicked off a precipice.
“Several former SASR officers say this rock-star ethos emboldened certain soldiers to test the elasticity of the rules of engagement – rules that govern when a soldier can take a life.”
“Spreading Democracy”
Are the soldiers really following a Hollywood model of action? Possibly. But I think they are also following the culture of Australia and its leaders.
Canberra leaders are the ones that stretched “the elasticity of the rules of engagement“. They talk of ‘clear, hold and build’ democracies — but their actions teach INVADE, KILL and STEAL RESOURCES.
I feel sorry for those soldiers in uniform that did bad things in the name of “freedom” and “spreading democracy”. They were truly duped into going over to Afghanistan and Iraq to do something quite different from what was advertised — to be then caught up in the hunt — to kill or be killed. I suppose you can expect to become a target when you’ve invade someone else’s turf?
I put the blame on the ones who started this. Canberra, Washington, and London paved the way. They gave the impression that our soldiers must “prepare for glory” when invading foreign lands.
When Leonidas kicked the shepherd off the cliff, I say John Howard kicked the shepherd off the cliff. Canberra never interrogated the data of 9-11, and they kicked all Muslims, over the cliff within hours of the explosions at the WTC.
Then later, they did not consider their invasions might kill well over a million innocent adults and children — including that particular shepherd, leaving a wife to raise eight youngsters alone.
Dee did you notice the date of this Darwan murder? 11th September (9/11), which suggests to me, the event was pre-meditated on the anniversary of the original 9/11.
John Howard and all Australian Prime Ministers since that original invasion are by definition war criminals. They without the authority of the United Nations Organisation sent troops into a country that was of no risk to any other country. These prime ministers also knew that civilians were going to be killed as the Taliban is not a group of soldiers, but a group of religious believers. And I am sure that they do not wear, I am a Taliban civilian or I am a Taliban soldier on their clothing. A similar situation to what transpired in Vietnam.
But then politicians, nor their sons or daughters are required to go overseas to take part in these illegal killings.
Australia has no right to have Service personnel overseas in ANY country. The ADF is supposed to be to defend Australia against foreign intruders, it was not set up to be continually offending in other countries.
However the leaders (?) of our country seem to think it is their duty to bow, scrape and follow orders of the criminal organisation, known as the City of London, which financially capitalises on their treasonous stupidity.
Mal, in the US, Congress’s decision to upgrade Vietnam war is called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
There is no comparable legislation to start the Iraq war. If y’all can bear to watch this film, it shows the unbelievable manner in which Americans accept a war-plan:
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War is war not some Hollywood fantasyland. Who is to say that stress induced mental anguish from seeing a fellow soldier killed in action does not have lasting implications. After all drive a vehicle into a crowd of people and the mental illness card is conveniently played with success every time.
“ All wars are bankers wars .”
As long as this nation has bankers as leaders , this country will continue to murder innocents
worldwide . Our men and now women are mercenaries for the masonic kabal destroying freedom
wherever they are sent . Debt usury is slavery for humanity . The more punters there are the
bigger the profits . Invade the nations destroy everything and steal the oil . Send the survivors to
the cities , of the west , and get them to subscribe to debt at compounding interest .
I can’t explain the WAR experience to anyone who hasn’t been there. It is not possible. The best analogy I can come up with, is that it would be on the same level of difficulty of explaining a sexual orgasm to a five year old child. – It can’t be done, it is something that has to be experienced in order to understand and discuss.
I don’t know the full circumstances of what happened that day in Afghanistan, so I’m not going to even begin to try and make a call.
I have gone ‘rogue’ myself and could have been this ‘Leonidas’. I have also stopped others that were going over the edge. I have had full on confrontations with superior officers in front of other troops over atrocities that should never have happened. – It is just what it is, WAR.
Screw the pencil pushing REMFS that want to wear a holy than thou halo of moral superiority as they sit well away from the killing fields that they would never step foot in.
Terry, I could possibly see rogue as a survival mechanism (mentally) — in war.
On a personal level that can be true. – “Although I enter the Valley of Death, I fear no evil, for I am the baddest son of a bitch in the valley”. – It’s an old saying, but I’ve seen many men adopt it during warfare.
However, it manifests most commonly when a soldier/unit wants ‘payback’. The bounds of humanity are discarded until the payback has run its course. It is something that an experienced field commander has to be constantly on the alert for because once it starts it can take on a life of its own.
That is so important, Terry.
I always thought the violent deaths of 4 Blackwater contractors in 2004 was done by The Powers That Be to stimulate an all-out “payback” attack on the city of Fallujah, as there was no other excuse available to warrant that incredible destruction.
From a 2012 report on the ending of the families’ lawsuit (I mean the contractors’ families, not the Population of Fallujah’s families!):
“RALEIGH, N.C.—Days after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, a federal appeals court ended a lawsuit over an episode that produced one of the more disturbing images of the war: the grisly killings of four Blackwater security contractors and the hanging of a pair of their bodies from a bridge in Fallujah.
Families of the victims reached a confidential settlement with the company’s corporate successor, Arlington, Va.-based Academi, and the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the suit last week. The settlement was first reported Friday by The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va.
The deal ends the families’ hopes that a public trial would expose the events that led to Iraqi insurgents killing the four contractors in 2004 and hanging two of their corpses, said Jason Helvenston of Orlando, Fla., brother of slain Blackwater guard Stephen ‘Scott’ Helvenston.
Images from the scene flashed around the world and triggered a massive U.S. military attack on Fallujah that featured street-by-street fighting.”
There are some thought-provoking thoughts here.
How far can a good man be pushed until he acts like a psychopath?
This reminds me of a peacetime incident. I was driving cabs at night in Darwin, and bashing cab drivers was currently a popular post-nightclub sport. I am a hard-to-provoke peaceful kind of fella, but a friend of mine was killed. I soon discovered that the bashers always try to provoke an argument first, so as soon as the insults started I would throw the cab into a transverse spin, leap out and drag the passengers into the street and flog them. All were bigger and meaner than me, so this was not bullying.
This kept me out of harms way. At that time I was invited to my wife’s midwifery graduation party and an early arrival was a really tall bikie who confided to me that he would bash a few people once they were drunk. First sign of agro I got stuck into him.
The other guests were horrified and my wife said that driving cabs was turning me into a psycho.
So… you don’t have to be at war to start breaking social rules. By the way, I soon went back to being my easy-going self.
So, although I at first harshly judged the SASR bloke, on reflection I conclude that but for the grace of god go you and I.
Meanwhile, hang that bastard Howard.
You are referring to individual situations, e.g., of you (Tony Ryan), or “Leonidas”, being “set up”. Now extend that to a world scale, and you get THE WORLD being set up for a truly T. Hobbesian scenario of a “war of all against all” (bellum omnium contra omnes)!!! THAT, is truly food for thought!
(Btw, as it goes for the Sheriff, so it goes for the Deputy Sheriff:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/06/11/sasa-j11.html ).
Note the nomenclature ‘Leonadis’ is de-anglicized in favour of a ‘greek’ flavour. Everything possible will be done to distance this, most likely, extremely traumatised soldier from his Grey opps unit….Government.. those responsible.
Maybe Ali Jan was homosexual and he was being subject to the Koranic requirement of being thrown off a cliff/building. It’s called being culturally sensitive.
Thank you for this excellent article, Dee, Thank you for keeping balance.
I don’t agree with your last sentence — that we did not know what would happen. I recall seeing Edward Said on TV at the time (although just possibly it was in the 1991 Desert Storm thing), predicting exactly what would happen to Iraq.When one heard him describe it, one thought “Then of course we won’t do that.”
I just went to see if there is a Youtube of that speech. I haven’t found it yet, but I came across this one when he was 50 years old. (He died of leukemia in 2003). His opening statement is amazing, and he repeats it at 5.40 minutes — that as a Palestinian American he always felt like a delinquent.
Same as you and I feel delinquent, socially dirty, always having to hide our beliefs as we are “naughty” for not believing the crap.
Which is why it’s nice to have Gumshoe and be able to come out of hiding.
Ta.
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Mary my sentence…” they did not consider their invasions might kill well over a million innocent …” Some might have guessed what would happen (but I think the average brainwashed poli probably didn’t understand), What I really mean is they did not CARE about the outcome. Anyway they (Howard et al) were probably following orders…
Dee, here is Robin Cook’s resignation speech, from the House of Commons, over his disagreement with the decision to invade Iraq. The speech occurred on March 17, 2003.
If I recall correctly, in Adelaide the big march (the only huge march we have ever had) against the invasion of Iraq took place on Sunday March 13 (worldwide, also). Then on the Wednesday of that week, pollies in Canberra voted yes. So that was March 16.
You say the pollies were dumb. OK but this was not like the visceral reaction to the “Arab” attacks on the WTC. As you see form Robin’s speech, all he was asking was a further delay to verify the alleged weapons of mass destruction.
By the way, when researching the criminal charge against Jahar Tsarnaev that he had a weapon of mass destruction I learned that the definition of that is “a weapon that can kill four or more people at once.”
Brilliantly put MM ” socially dirty, always having to hide our beliefs as we are “naughty” for not believing the crap.”
I didn’t mention in the article that almost every Hollywood action hero goes ROGUE in the climax of the film. A movie action hero has to also be deeply flawed, a rule breaker… and he generally crosses the line to save the day — and his flaw is usually the twist in the story that helps him solve the puzzle or survive. And to mention one of the long running favourites… “Bond, James Bond… and I have a license to kill”
A Country’s investment in colonial warfare is commensurate to the degree It’s caught up in Professional sport. No wonder the dynamic is identical:
Love and kindness is a much better option than war and mayhem .
Refuse to be ridiculed by mediocrity .
There is no flag large enough . . .
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/no-flag-large-enough.JPG
. . . to cover the shame of killing innocent people!!!
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49584.htm
Looks like the line was drawn in the sands.
Ephesians 6:12
“For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickednes in high places .”
We either choose Jesus Isus Krishna , and whatever names Our Heavenly Father has , or we subscribe to the artificial lies and deceptions of the demons of war and destruction.
The theologians of old were careful to not drift towards the only realistic path to peace… government of the people, by the people and for the people.
I would not be the first person to point out that mandatory support of military solutions by a fully-informed national electorate, would result in precious few wars being supported.
But the road to war is invariably journeyed by vehicles in camouflage, driven by generals in disguise. Iraq was driven by oil and investment banker magnates who were fearful of the impact on the petro-dollar of Hussain’s switch to Euros for oil. And the backseat driver there was Israel (as usual).
The Afghanistan war was predictable the moment the Taliban banned alcohol and opium as forbidden by the Quran. This event threatened the CIA’s heroin trade, which financed its black ops. And the real owners of the CIA (Rockefeller associates of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission) wanted a population-free oil and gas pipeline route from the Caspian Basin, through Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Indian Ocean ports.
Also, the resources miners satellite surveys revealed great wealth hiding under those otherwise barren mountains.
Thus, the most powerful people in the world needed war and genocide. That this required soldiers without scruples was a given.
Which, I guess, answers Kermit’s implied question.