Let’s just remind everyone of the statement the NZDF made at the time they were accused of a war crime
Let’s just remind everyone of the statement the NZDF made at the time they were accused of a war crime..
…turns out that was all a lie…
Now, a year later, the Ombudsman has ordered the Defence Force to release more information, including on the subject of whether the photos in the book were the same location where the NZSAS was operating that night (22 August 2010). The Defence Force has finally admitted that the “three photographs in the book are of Tirgiran Village”, the NZDF’s name for the place where the SAS conducted the raid.
Hit and Run co-author Nicky Hager said the Chief of Defence Force Tim Keating had tried to divert attention away from the issue of civilian casualties by claiming the book was not about a raid the SAS had conducted.
“It was simply a diversion. This seems extremely unprofessional behaviour from a senior military officer,” Mr Hager said. “I believe that the impulse to hide the NZDF’s mistakes led the Chief of Defence Force knowingly to mislead the media and the public.”
The NZDF had jumped on an error in two of the book’s illustrations, which marked the location of the raid incorrectly in the roadless mountains. But the rest of the book – the text, the photos and the lists of casualties – was correct. Mr Hager publicly acknowledged the map error and a new edition of the book was published soon after with the illustration errors corrected. But the Defence Force continued to use the map error to say that the whole book was wrong.
…so the NZDF knowingly misled the public by manufacturing doubt months before the 2017 election for possible war crimes that John Key had personally signed off on.
Isn’t it time for the NZ Media to start doing their job now Jon Stephenson and Nicky Hager have done all the hard work?
Tactical training has all but ceased and NZDF is desperately trying to re-establish some form of training (in Iraq). Our commanders have no idea how to tactically handle individual personal or tasks. No commander has ever practiced combat ops for a multi-national force.
People should now have to wonder why veterans keep voting conservative blue. If you get rid of conservatism there’s one less danger of illegal operations and one less danger of exposing military personal to illegal operations. No prime minister has the right to ignorance of the dangers of war. Jacinda or God forbid Bridges, thanks to there predecessor lies. There’s no more excuses.
Only RNZ made a mention, the rest have chosen to ignore Mr Hager and Comrade Bradbury, as usual, so what do we make of that???
Well you’ve got to go right back to the 2008 campaign when John Key said he’d send troops into Afghanistan and got the numbers to do that. It just goes to show how anti war New Zealanders really are, thanks to a bit of hindsight. Now that it’s turned out that new Zealand’s democracy is full of inert journalists then it must now be a priority to make sure NZDF is left in a stable and resourced condition. So when the opposition God forbid, gets there grubby hands on NZDF again, NZDF isn’t just left with a few generic hugs and kisses.
TV1 opening news tonight …Labour youth camp (a convenient diversion), Donald Trump and then some other rubbish. But nothing whatsoever about the lies and cover up of the activities of the NZDF and Operation Burnham! Nothing in NZH or Stuff either, well not that I can find. Keeping it well under wraps to protect …??
See NZH’s Audrey Young and Clare Travett getting in their 10c worth in on the Labour youth camp issue to keep the topic alive, while ignoring something that could equate to war crimes committed in Afghanistan by NZDF, authorised by the previous National government, on former PM John Key’s watch!
National could be a tad worried at the moment! So still having msm doing its dirty work for it!
It is saddening to see the silence on this by NZ MSM.
I understand why they are quiet – ” who pays the piper plays the tune.”