AUSTRALIAN SAS IN TROUBLE

For the last year or two there have been reports of Special Air Services (SAS) killing innocent Afghani people. 

The issue is now coming to a head with reports of 39 civilians murdered by Australian soldiers at the order of their commander as "blood letting".

The Head of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell expressed sincere apology at the crime of the elite force of Australian soldiers.

As a former service officer, I support his view of the stain on the Australian service record.

For several years, I was involved with the SAS but not in an operational sense. This was the time of the Bougainville conflict. Australia was standing by to give support. 

I am not telling stories out of school as I used to conduct Tok Pisin training for the SAS at the RAAF School of Languages and in their base in Western Australia. I worked with a succession of PNGDF officers.

During that time, I trained about 300 SAS soldiers in Tok Pisin and familiarized them with the culture of PNG and issues related to Bougainville. It was a balanced explanation with no good or bad.

At one stage they were taken by C-130 aircraft to Tokua airport to spend time with villagers in the area. They were becoming comfortable with PNG. 

The SAS Commanding Officer later retired to become a Christian evangelist. He had an impact on the SAS regiment.

If deployed to Bougainville, I hope that they would help bring peace and security to the villagers. They would defend against excesses of Sandline if they were on the ground.

Why did this not happen in Afghanistan? This country was a nation alien to Australians. There have been civilians and Afghani soldiers who have killed Australian soldiers. 

The villagers would be unknown to the SAS who were unable to speak the language. The religion was alien.

The response of the Australian Defence Force will have a profound impact on the SAS particularly the young soldiers. They are not free to do as they like. Australia should have shame but be pleased that such killing is opened to the media. 

There has to be more direct command by the officers in keeping the senior non-commissioned officers in line. The patrols of SAS soldiers are in the hands of non-commissioned officers.

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda do worse than that but this is no justification for the Australian killings. 

Those of us who were adult during the Vietnam War will never forget the massacre of villagers of Mi Lai at the hands of Lt Calley. I hope he is now an old man and ashamed.