Australian war crimes and racist fantasies in Afghanistan
Al JazeeraAustralians continue to believe they are fighting a good war in Afghanistan, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Australian officials and commentators tried to present the war crimes as an act of a few “bad apples” just as their American counterparts did with the uncovered torture and murder at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. This normalisation of violence by the West in certain parts of the world creates spaces where practices like “blooding” – the merciless murder of civilians and detainees as a rite of passage – flourish. The war in Afghanistan has been considered the “good war”, unlike the invasion of Iraq which some eventually denounced as the “bad war”, the one built on lies. As evidence of horrendous war crimes mounts, Westerners, including Australians, continue to hold on to the racist fantasy that they are fighting a “good war” in Afghanistan, that they have the moral right to demarcate the boundaries of the battleground, that they can decide who is a civilian and who is Taliban.
History of this topic
Australia charges ex-soldier with murder over Afghan killing
Associated Press
Australia special forces troops face sack for unlawful killings
Al Jazeera
Rights group, Afghan envoy want more probes into war crimes
The Independent
Australian 'war crimes': Report alleges 39 Afghan civilians murdered
Daily Mail
Report finds Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghans
Associated Press
Australia finds evidence of war crimes in Afghanistan inquiry
Al JazeeraAfghanistan war crimes report released by Defence Chief Angus Campbell includes evidence of 39 murders by special forces
ABC
Australian Special Forces Unlawfully Killed 39 In Afghanistan, New Report Says
NPRWhat war crimes did Australian soldiers commit in Afghanistan and will anyone go to jail?
ABC
Australia's Military Reports Alleged War Crimes By Australians In Afghanistan
NPR
Australia appoints special investigator over alleged war crimes
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