'Shooting by Australian soldiers that killed Afghan man was justified'

2010-11-10 18:56:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- The Australian Department of Defence has determined that the killing of an Afghan man in August was justified, the government said on Wednesday.

The incident happened in the Baluchi Valley region of Afghanistan on the evening of August 23 when Australian Special Operations Task Group soldiers were conducting a reconnaissance mission in the area.

According to the Australian Department of Defence, the soldiers were approached by a local man carrying a machine gun. At a distance of 30 meters (98 feet), the man was told to stop in the local Pashtu language.

Although the man initially stopped in response to the order, he then took another step towards the patrol. When he was again told to stop, he again took a step forward, after which he raised his weapon at members of the patrol. He was then shot and killed, according to an internal review which was conducted by the Australian Department of Defence.

On August 24, a day after the shooting, coalition forces received information that the man was not an insurgent but in fact the son of a local elder. A Shura (meeting) was then called, in which condolences were passed to the elder and were accepted.

"The internal review conducted into the soldiers' actions determined that the soldiers responded lawfully to the situation confronting them," the Australian Department of Defence said in announcing its findings. "The review further found that their actions were in accordance with their rules of engagement and a legitimate act of self-defense."

The Australian government said the incident reflects the 'complex and dangerous environment' in which coalition forces have to operate in.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply this year, with around 90 fatalities in July alone, making it the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the war began on October 7, 2001 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

The council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eventually declared that the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people from scores of countries, was considered an attack on all NATO nations. The NATO-backed war aims to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country.

So far this year, more than 630 coalition service members have been killed in action. Most of them were American and died in Afghanistan's war-torn southern region. In 2009, the total death toll stood at 521.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-11-10

Oh dear. The poor Pashtun was pointing his automatic weapon ant the Australians and was pacified. Will TVF's regulars be taking up a collection for the deceased Pashtun?

Are you some sort of Israel apologist with friends in Israel getting paid by the Jews?