Glass
28th October 2010, 04:40 PM
SENIOR militia fighters loyal to a notorious Afghan warlord have been flown to Australia to train with elite ADF special forces as part of a covert strategy to strengthen military operations against the Taliban.
Read the full response to this story from the Department of Defence (http://www.theage.com.au/national/response-from-the-department-of-defence-20101029-17612.html)
The six Afghan fighters are allied to Matiullah Khan, a powerful Oruzgan warlord with whom Dutch forces refused to work due to his alleged connections to murder and extortion.
The Gillard government did not disclose that the men were in Australia, even though their trip coincided with the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan. It is believed they left the country this week.
Australia's growing relationship with warlords was discussed at a meeting between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul this month, according to information obtained by The Age.
An official record of the meeting says President Karzai told Ms Gillard that local tribal leaders had praised Australia's co-operation with ''warlordy types''.
The visiting militia group met Australian officers with whom they will work this summer, and were shown combat training displays at the Cultana base in South Australia and at a Sydney special forces barracks.
A government official said the visit showed the ''diabolical difficulty'' of policy in Afghanistan. The militia is the province's most effective and well-informed fighting force, but moving closer to it risks undermining Afghan government institutions that need to be reinforced before Australia's troops can leave.
One Australian special forces officer said the militia was respected and had ''saved many Australian [soldiers'] lives''.
Speaking from Kabul, Afghanistan analyst Martine van Bijlert said: ''We're shaping [Afghanistan] to our short-term needs, rather than what the country needs in the long term. Does the country really need commanders with what are in essence private armies?''
The Dutch refused to work with Matiullah on reconstruction and other projects and blocked his appointment as a police chief. He holds no formal government position, but is closely allied with President Karzai and is considered the most powerful man in Oruzgan, where Australian forces are based.
Full article..... (http://www.theage.com.au/national/afghan-warlords-men-trained-in-australia-20101028-175pw.html?autostart=1)
Read the full response to this story from the Department of Defence (http://www.theage.com.au/national/response-from-the-department-of-defence-20101029-17612.html)
The six Afghan fighters are allied to Matiullah Khan, a powerful Oruzgan warlord with whom Dutch forces refused to work due to his alleged connections to murder and extortion.
The Gillard government did not disclose that the men were in Australia, even though their trip coincided with the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan. It is believed they left the country this week.
Australia's growing relationship with warlords was discussed at a meeting between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul this month, according to information obtained by The Age.
An official record of the meeting says President Karzai told Ms Gillard that local tribal leaders had praised Australia's co-operation with ''warlordy types''.
The visiting militia group met Australian officers with whom they will work this summer, and were shown combat training displays at the Cultana base in South Australia and at a Sydney special forces barracks.
A government official said the visit showed the ''diabolical difficulty'' of policy in Afghanistan. The militia is the province's most effective and well-informed fighting force, but moving closer to it risks undermining Afghan government institutions that need to be reinforced before Australia's troops can leave.
One Australian special forces officer said the militia was respected and had ''saved many Australian [soldiers'] lives''.
Speaking from Kabul, Afghanistan analyst Martine van Bijlert said: ''We're shaping [Afghanistan] to our short-term needs, rather than what the country needs in the long term. Does the country really need commanders with what are in essence private armies?''
The Dutch refused to work with Matiullah on reconstruction and other projects and blocked his appointment as a police chief. He holds no formal government position, but is closely allied with President Karzai and is considered the most powerful man in Oruzgan, where Australian forces are based.
Full article..... (http://www.theage.com.au/national/afghan-warlords-men-trained-in-australia-20101028-175pw.html?autostart=1)