Jonesy's Bar and Grill, Afghanistan

SBS Chief Political Correspondent Karen Middleton visits the outpost where an Afghan soldier shot dead Australian army cook, Lance Corporal Andrew Jones.

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At Combat Outpost Mashal, the mess is known as Jonesy's Bar and Grill.

They named it after Jonesy because he was the cook.

Lance Corporal Andrew Jones fed the Australians and worked and lived alongside the Afghans they were training at the tiny military outpost beneath the Hindu Kush, where the Baluchi and Chora valleys meet.

But on May 30 this year, an Afghan soldier shot and killed him - and nobody really knows why.

The Afghan patrol commander, Lieutenant Javed, says it was a one-off, but some say he was linked to insurgents.

US special forces eventually found and shot the Afghan.

While Australian military and government leaders might have preferred him alive, many Australian soldiers aren't sorry he's dead.

The soldier who killed Andrew Jones was on guard in this sentry box and fired on the Australian down in the base.

The incident happened just before the Mentoring Task Force was to change over. It had a profound effect on those who were here, and those who were coming. ENDS

The Australian officer commanding forces at Mashal and nearby Patrol Base Miriwais is Major Adam Gower, whose company took over as the Mentoring Task Force 10 days after Lance Corporal Jones was killed.

It was an anxious transition.

The commander of Afghan forces across Uruzgan province, Brigadier General Zafar, has formally apologised for the incident, raising it again with Australian military leaders as recently as last week.

At Mashal, they're getting on with things and trying not to dwell on it, with Jonesy's picture among those of lost colleagues and his name above the door.


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2 min read

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By Karen Middleton

Source: SBS


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