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Australian Military Pulls Out of Iraq - or Does It?
 international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Tuesday July 01, 2008 12:58 by Ciaron - Catholic Worker/Plowshares
The new Australian Labor government claims it is fulfilling its election promise by removing Australian troops form Iraq, with a welcome home parade in Brisbane last weekend.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/29/australia.iraq Yet they have left 300 Australian Army in Baghdad and 500 more Naval and Air Force in the Iraq theatre. Like the British Labour Government. the Australian Rudd Labor Government continues to escalate its military commitment to the war on Afghanistan For the past year the Brisbane Catholic Worker has sustained a weekly vigil http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/node/51198 outside the Enoggera Army Barracks from where many of the troops deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. Catholic Workers do not see the Australian contribution to killing in Iraq ending with Prime Minister Rudd's recent parade.
Standfast, a military veterans group, is also sceptical......
A parade through Brisbane streets on June 28th marking the return of last Australian Battle Group from Southern Iraq is being falsely heralded as a withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq .
“Stand Fast, welcomes home the troops that have recently returned from Southern Iraq,” said Hamish Chitts, former Australian infantry soldier, East Timor veteran and founder of Stand Fast, a group of veterans and former military personnel who oppose the current wars of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We are glad that they are no longer being placed in harm's way for the sake of oil and the interests of global corporations. Unfortunately this so called withdrawal is less than one third of the Australian military personnel currently in Iraq . The other two thirds will continue to remain in harms way supporting this unpopular and unjustifiable occupation.”
Chitts explained that “it is far from a withdrawal - it is a re-shuffling. Most of the troops who have recently returned will soon be used to bolster Australian military efforts to defend the corrupt puppet government of Afghanistan and U.S. government and business interests in that country.”
63% of Australians today are opposed to the war in Iraq and over 50% oppose the war Afghanistan . Chitts asked, “How can Kevin Rudd claim to be acting for democracy when a majority in this country want all the troops bought home? And it is not just democracy here that is being ignored; the majority of Iraqis and the majority of Afghanis don't want foreign troops occupying their land. That's why the people of Iraq and Afghanistan will keep resisting the occupation of their countries.”
“So while we welcome home these troops, we continue to condemn the criminal politicians who sent them to Iraq , who kept them there and are continuing to send troops to participate in the bloody US-led occupation. Those who truly support our troops should join our call to bring all the military personnel, from all the countries involved, home from Iraq and Afghanistan .”
The most significant Australian contribution to killing Iraqis and Afghanis comes from the secretive U.S. NSA base located near isolated Alice Springs that communicates targeting information for attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan. Four Catholic Workers were jailed this year for their citizen's inspection of the base www.pinegap6.org
Another U.S. base is under construction at Geraldton, an isolated location in Western Australia http://perth.indymedia.org/?action=newswire&parentview=...26441
20,000 U.S. troops coming to Australia every second year for the Operation Talisman Saber exercises. These exercises in central Queensland are also being met with nonviolent resistance
http://samuelhill5.blogspot.com/
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Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 4 3 2 1http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7710
http://www.stand-fast.webs.com/
The Australian-based veterans group Stand Fast today rejected
statements made by Federal opposition leader Brendan Nelson regarding
the tragic death in Afghanistan of SAS Signaller Sean McCarthy.
Stand Fast spokesperson Hamish Chitts said the group, comprised of
veterans and former military personnel who oppose the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq, regards the rhetorical remarks of Dr Nelson as a
vile attempt to turn public opinion to support the war in Afghanistan.
"This war is primarily about having easier access to the oilfields in
Turkmenistan to the North of Afghanistan, including a possible pipeline
from these oilfields through Western Afghanistan to lucrative markets
in Pakistan and India. Soldiers are sacrificing their lives so that
others can earn a profit from it," he said.
"To bury this war under the cloak of democracy and a war on terror is
ridiculous. As veterans and ex-service personnel, we reject this
attempt to say that anyone in Afghanistan has died in our name. We
think Dr Nelson is looking after the interests of big business and
dressing it up to look like the people of Afghanistan have the
capability and desire to invade Sydney," Chitts said.
Chitts' comments came after Brendan Nelson was quoted as saying;
"Signaller McCarthy has given his life in our name, in the cause of
fighting extremism and the Taliban in particular."
"Stand Fast would like to ask Mr Nelson and Mr Rudd did the bride and
22 other members of her wedding party who were killed by U.S. bombs in
Nangarhar province on Sunday (July 6) also give their lives in our
name? Have the thousands of other civilians who have already died as
part of the occupation of Afghanistan also given their lives in our
name?" Chitts asked.
"Of course we don't support the politics and religious fundamentalism
of the Taliban. Initially the Taliban was easily defeated because they
didn't have the support of most Afghanis. Now their ranks are being
swelled, not by people who have suddenly been won over to the Taliban's
view of the World but by people who oppose the puppet regime of thugs
and opium barons whose rule our troops help enforce." he said.
"These members of parliament, both Labor and Coalition vie with each
other to be more `the diggers friend' than the other. Most have never
served in the Defence Force nor left the comforts of their
parliamentary offices. The fact that these politicians use this death
to sell their unpopular and unjustifiable war in Afghanistan is
disgusting. As veterans our thoughts are with Sean's family and all
those still in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan. No more blood should
be shed for the profiteers, bring the troops home now," Chitts said.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/07/09/121...alxml
Another nation sacrificing its citizens' lives to the imperial/military/commercial interests of war criminal Bush. National armies will target young men & offer them promises of 'wonderful career opportunities', camaraderie, great leisure pursuits, etc., etc., - try to make them understand that they will be the tools & cannon-fodder of their governments & the US, & have to turn off their own conscience, once they put on that uniform.