New Zealand ordered the creation of an independent military watchdog Friday after an inquiry found senior officers repeatedly misled government ministers about a special forces raid in Afghanistan.

The inquiry, co-chaired by former prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, found no misconduct by elite SAS troops during the 2010 raid, which was carried out with US air support.

But it criticised the military for subsequently dismissing claims that civilians were killed during the operation, even though there was evidence suggesting up to five non-combatants died, including a girl aged 8-10.

Attorney-General David Parker said the conduct undermined fundamental tenets of democracy, including the principle that the civilian government controls the military.

"New Zealanders will be shocked at some of the conclusions reached by this report," Parker said of revelations that senior officers knowingly made false statements to ministers, media and the public.

He said the government had accepted recommendations in the 400-page report, which took two years to compile, calling for the appointment of an independent director-general of defence to ensure the military was held accountable.

"We've got to the bottom of a pretty murky situation," Parker said.

"That sort of transparency can give the New Zealand public confidence that the armed forces are properly within the control of government and they're not a law unto themselves."

Parker said New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel failed to correct statements that it knew were incorrect and even edited reports coming out of Afghanistan to remove references to the possibility that civilian casualties had occurred.

NZDF chief Air Marshal Kevin Short admitted "inaccurate statements were made" but denied there was an orchestrated cover-up.

"NZDF acknowledges and regrets these mistakes," he said.

"If we are to maintain the trust and confidence of the people we serve, we must be accountable... I will ensure this happens."

The inquiry was launched after a book entitled "Hit and Run" was published in 2017 accusing the SAS of staging the raid in the northern province of Baghlan as a "revenge attack" after insurgents killed a New Zealand soldier in the area.

The inquiry rejected the book's claims, adding: "Regrettably, NZDF's response appears to have been affected by a degree of personal animosity towards the authors".

New Zealand sent a reconstruction team and a small special forces contingent to join the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan in 2003.

The deployment lasted a decade and resulted in the deaths of 10 NZDF personnel.

ns/jah

SAS

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

France seeks UN-led mission on China's Uighur treatment
Paris (AFP) July 28, 2020
France called Tuesday for a UN-led observer mission to evaluate the treatment of China's Uighur population and accused Beijing of "indefensible practices" against the Muslim minority. The proposal by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian comes as tensions rise between France and China after Paris intensified its expression of public concern over the treatment of Uighurs in the western Xinjiang region. "Since they say my statements are baseless, we propose an international mission of independent ob ... read more