Australians no good reputation in Afghanistan

Of course they do not have a good reputation, why they should?. They are part of an invation force, and any invader should be repelled,why do they have to love them? If there are soldiers with a good heart O.K, but at the end they have to kill in order to survive. If Australia were invaded without a reason,as Afghanistan all of us would be fighting and we would be called terrorists.

I have some questions....

What right has Australia to invade a sobereign country ? Why do we have to follow the empire on its belicist policy around the world ? What sort of surrogate state are we creating with this unlawful interventions ? Where is the "fairness" the "fair income" that we proclaim when we are been taking by the nose for this war machine that is the USA ? WHEN are we going to use our SELF DETERMINATION ? Why no STOP the military projects with NATO and start a program and a policy of MULTILATERALISM ?.

Fanning the flames

Stories that lack hard facts and unproven incidents,are seized upon by the fanatics to make such remarks as "Australian soldiers deliberately kill muslim civilians", as has happen with the latest terrorist case in Australian.

500 words or less?

Poor reporting Sophie. A distinct lack of research, preparation and quality control. Clearly destined for weather reporting in the near future. Please dont allow such biased and uneducated reporting. Really good work on getting the Brigadier on camera twirling his thumbs. Must have been really getting clsoe to a break through with such direct and intellectual questioning, or maybe he's just wondering how much longer he will be able to stay awake. You can resubmit this one Sophie, fail.

Cool the Jets

Whilst the piece may not be considering every imaginable perspective, it still reports one that isn't often heard. The last I heard of Australian troops was about their complaints on dutch food... It isn't simple for anyone. Civillians haven't choice to be involved, and the troops have difficulty differentiating between friend or foe. This transparency seemed the focus of the report and the source should hence not be attacked

"Increasingly Complex" wars...

Only wars lacking a moral dimension become "increasingly complex". US/NATO is making exactly the same mistakes as the Soviet Union made in Afghanistan; deciding what's best for the inhabitants and attempting to impose it by force. No-one should be even mildly surprised that the Afghanis are resisting - just as Australians would if someone tried that stunt in Oz. The pro-war bluster overlooks the fact that if US/NATO's schemes had any tangible merit Afghanis would have welcomed and embraced them.

Response to A C

Unfortunately warfare is becoming increasingly complex. Long gone are the days of trench warfare, 2 opposing forces meeting head to head on a large field. These days the enemy is not clearly defined; Australia fights 'Terrorism' not the citizens of Afghanistan. The combatants do not wear a uniform for us to target and combatants hide behind the guise of civilians. Be assured Australian or Allied soldiers do not call down air strikes on innocent civilians

AfPak Reality Check

There's an enlightening article on the www entitled "The Taliban Rope-a-Dope" by Franklin Spinney (CounterPunch, 14th July). He begins by introducing the term 'self-referencing' (a polite euphemism for self-deception) and then sets out in unambiguous detail precisely how and why US/NATO's preference for a military solution to Afghanistan's perceived problems was doomed to failure before the first troops tramped into the forthcoming quagmire/debacle.