The " Detritus " of war !

Governments of all political persuasions are quick to make extravagant promises when they need " cannon fodder " in times of war.   There are usually plans to make life sweet for returning veterans.  Plentiful housing is one of those promises  and the mantra of " They will be rewarded for their sacrifices " is common.  When the war ends, amnesia seems to be a disability that affects most politicians.

Such is the situation now prevailing in Afghanistan.   That war is coming to an end and soon our troops will be returning home.   Fortunately the numbers involved were much smaller than in most other wars and it is possible that these numbers can be accommodated within the defence rehabilitation framework.  The experience of war can scar minds.   It will take time and effort to readjust to peace.

The war in Afghanistan involved troops from a consortium of countries.  They served under the umbrella of the International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF ) and their work would have been almost impossible without the Afghan recruits that served with them as interpreters .   Patrols usually  included at least one Afghan tasked with bridging the gap with Afghan civilians - and this was risky for the men involved.   The Taliban regarded them as traitors and for that reason they masked their faces to avoid instant recognition.

It would be an extravagant claim to declare that this Afghan was has been " won ".   At best, the enemy has been neutralised to the extent that a compromise has been reached.  We will be leaving behind a weak government in Kabul and it is likely that the country will again be the domain of some warlords - and Taliban remnants.   The fate of those people who enlisted to our side for a paltry pay of about $ 600 a month will be uncertain.

Once again " amnesia " seems to taking hold on the many governments involved in the Afghan war.   We wonder what promises were made to enlist our Afghan comrades to join our ranks.  They put themselves and their families at risk and it would be reasonable to expect that we would repay that trust.

We are currently seeing incoming boat loads of young Afghan men arriving at Christmas island, the by-product of " people smugglers " making a living by enabling those who have lost confidence in an Afghan future to migrate to what they consider to be a " land of milk and honey ".     Surely we owe it to the small number of interpreters who worked with our people in ISAF to offer them and their families repatriation through official channels, rather than risking their lives to escape intimidation and death.

Irrespective of what other governments do to help their Afghan allies, it would be the honourable thing for Australia to accept repatriation to safety as our obligation of faith.