‘Is it reincarnation of Abu Ghraib’ is the question that needs to be raised on the recent report detailing how inhumanly the Australian forces treated and killed 39 Afghans in their own country. The Australian forces have been stationed as part of Nato and Isaf in the war-torn land-locked country to keep peace for over one decade. The report titled ‘Afghanistan Inquiry Report’ was finalized by no other than Inspector-General of the Australian Defense Force. In the run-up to start the inquiry, international media groups have been reporting glaring abuses of human rights for years starting from 2006. The Inspector-General submitted his report recently admitting that none of the 39 Afghans the Australian forces killed was a combatant and none of the killing was made in the heat of the war. The killings aimed at “blooding” the Australian soldiers. Blooding is a verb originally associated with “hunting dogs”. Those killed were first kept prisoners and the killers planted weapons and cameras on and around them to create an impression that they were attackers. It was a cover-up. The way the “blooding” was carried out is too gory to be stated. The Australian army chief has apologized to the Afghan nation in a televised speech. He said the incident has shattered the trust of Afghans in his country. He has also conveyed his message to his Afghan counterpart and others.
The soldiers involved in the heinous crime have been served notices. The police have been asked to carry out the inquiry which is a lengthy process. That said the Afghans have yet to see a befitting response by the international powers to this incident. It is being justly argued that the world powers have different standards of human rights. The silence with which they are treating this report is akin to the silence they adopt on flagrant violation of human rights in Indian-Held Kashmir. However, everyone raises an eyebrow to even fake reports of any atrocities in Balochistan. The Australian prime minister has called for justice for targets of brutality of his forces. There is demand for due compensation to victims’ families. Several of them want to be
settled in Australia and given education there. The international coalitions need to make sure that such an incident will not be repeated as humanity cannot afford another Abu Ghraib. Forces of hate and destabilization use these incidents to justify their nefarious agenda and common people walk into their trap, which is why it must be condemned at top international levels for the sake of stability in the region.
