Aussie soldiers charged

[Joseph27]

THREE soldiers facing a court martial over the killing of Afghan civilians should not have been charged, a senior military lawyer says.
The unprecedented charges against the three special forces soldiers by the Defence Military Prosecutor were "deleterious to command and discipline", barrister Kathryn Cochrane, a lawyer with links to the International Criminal Court, said yesterday.

"Without making light of civilian deaths, these charges are not of such an egregious nature as to attract the court's jurisdiction," she told The Australian.

Last night, a spokeswoman for the Hague-based ICC denied any pressure had been put on Australia to have the soldiers indicted.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nationa ... 5932557142

These soldiers were involved in a firefight and threw a grenade into a room followed by a 2nd grenade which killed everyone in the room - now they face manslaughter charges and a potential 20 year prison sentence because the piece of shit taliban guy had women and children in the room whilst he engaged the Australia soldiers. These charges are a slap in the face to any soldier - and give us a better insight into why the US wont expose their soldiers to an international court. Although these charges are domestically pursued there does seem to be international inspiration and soft cocks in the ADF seem more than willing to hang their members out to dry

Two points -

These soldiers should not be charged
The world should leave Afghanistan to rot in its own filth.

[Fat Bob]

Point 1 - totally agree. It's an unavoiable loss of life in that situation, if you are trying to take out someone in the midst of a firefight, there are times when using direct, selective action is not possible. the loss of life is regretful, but still, the soldiers being charged is not right.

Point 2 - Afghanistan was left to rot after the USSR pulled out, and it ended up as a training base for people committing terroists acts on civilians in my home country. I have no problem with us being in Afghanistan, though I'm rather unsure on how long we will have to stay and what the issues will be in 5+ years time. I do know in not being there puts peole at risk across most of the English-seaking world.

And 3 cheers to the Predator pilot who hellfired a few Brits and Germans to their graves rather than those Brits and Germans taking others to their graves.