Australia dispatches more troops for phoney “war on terror” in Afghanistan

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson told a press conference: “It’s very important that we not only engage in ‘hearts and minds’ activities ... but also that we are prepared to go out and actively rout the Taliban, and in particular the Taliban leadership.” In other words, the SAS will be hunting down and attempting to assassinate the leadership of Afghan resistance groups. Australian special forces performed a similar function for the US military during the Vietnam War. Over the course of five years, SAS hit squads were responsible for killing more than 500 alleged Viet Cong officials and targeting hundreds more for attack by aircraft and artillery.

The most politically revealing aspect of Howard’s decision to insert Australian troops into frontline combat in Afghanistan is that it has been supported by virtually the entire political and media establishment. The Australian population, which is overwhelmingly opposed to the war in Iraq, has been told from all quarters that the conflict in Afghanistan is a justified war against “terrorism” and “different” to Iraq.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2007/apr2007/afgh-a19.shtml