Damien Lawson
John Howard was killed in Iraq two months ago. A 26-year old staff sergeant in the marines, he died when his helicopter crashed in Al-Anbar province in August. The youngest of three brothers from Virginia, he joined the marines in 1996, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, James Ludington. His death ended his second "tour of duty" in Iraq after he returned to Baghdad on June 28, leaving behind his wife and two stepchildren.
Of course we know a lot about John Howard and the other 1127 US soldiers killed in Iraq, but very little about the Iraqis killed in this awful war.
Last week for All Souls' Day I joined a small group of people in front of Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral, who read out those names of Iraqi casualties that we did know. This was not even close to the almost 100,000 killed since the invasion, estimated in a study by John Hopkins University medical researchers that was published in the Lancet.
The numbers are probably even higher, as the study did not include the victims of Fallujah, the 600 murdered in the massacre last April and those killed since by US snipers and 500lb bombs. This is an atrocity in anyone's language and an atrocity that is being repeated as the US intensifies its air strikes and masses troops, enabled by British Black Watch covering their positions south of Baghdad.
The other John Howard, fresh from his election victory in Australia, has successfully insulated both Australian troops and public opinion from the cost of the war. As yet no Australian soldier has been killed, although there have been some close calls. But the soldier recently flown back suffering serious injuries hardly equates with the 8000 or more US personnel injured and of course the countless Iraqis injured.
The lack of Australian casualties, however, does not truly reflect the degree of Australia's involvement in this conflict.
The prime minister, aided by the media, has successfully painted Australia's involvement as almost separate from the conflict. The truth is somewhat different.
The military commitment, while small, is politically important as other "allies" such as Hungary continue to plan withdrawal of their forces, but it is militarily significant as well. There are more than 900 Australians involved in the Iraq deployment, currently headed by Brigadier Peter Hutchinson.
The military significance to the Pentagon is also greater than recognised given the problem the US military has in ensuring it is able to maintain and possibly increase troop levels. The need to shift British troops to prepare for the Fallujah assaults reflects this problem.
Australia's contribution is an important part of the Pentagon's strategy of "Vietnamisation" in Iraq, constructing a puppet Iraqi army for the White House's puppet ruler Iyad Allawi.
The Australian Army Training Team Iraq — recently renamed to match the title of Australia's first forces deployed in Vietnam — has approximately 50 personnel training three Iraqi battalions. The force was recently rotated with a new team deployed for a further six months.
The success of the training will be tested in the assault on Fallujah; already some of the Iraqis have deserted or defected.
The team is backed up by a detachment of about 120 combat troops including the recently expanded Australian Light Armoured Vehicles.
This detachment also provides security and transport for the staff in Baghdad, including transporting the now well-known Australian officer Major George O'Kane, who worked as a legal officer in the US Joint Task Force headquarters and assisted in fending off Red Cross allegations of torture and mistreatment in Abu Ghraib prison.
Australians like Major O'Kane are distributed through the US command structure. There are more than 90 personnel in the multinational force headquarters and units, and combined logistics and communications elements.
Major-General Jim Molan AO, is deputy chief of staff for strategic operations in the multinational force's Iraq headquarters in Baghdad. These staff, including General Molan, are involved in planning operations and targeting decisions, which translate into military actions against the resistance forces. They would have been involved in planning for the Fallujah attack.
An October 15 media release from defence minister Robert Hill's office said: "This will see Major General Molan responsible for advising the MNF-I general commander, General Casey, on all aspects pertaining to the planning and conduct of operations which may range from civil assistance through to conventional war fighting. The restructured headquarters will be responsible for security and anti-insurgency operations in Iraq."
Australians may also be involved in direct operations against the resistance. Brian Toohey, in a recent article in the Australian Financial Review, claimed the SAS was part of a special forces strike force operating in Iraq. Their actions bear a remarkable resemblance to the work of the CIA's Phoenix assassination squads during the Vietnam war.
At least one Australian was leading a 20-soldier squad in the previous assault on Fallujah and there are a number of other Australians on secondment to the US and British forces. An Australian naval and air surveillance force is protecting oil facilities and transports in the northern Persian Gulf, which are targeted by the resistance forces. This includes a naval component of about 240 personnel comprising of HMAS Adelaide together with a logistics support element.
Other operations include a RAAF AP-3C Orion detachment of about 160 personnel conducting maritime patrol operations, with two aircraft and associated command and support elements supporting both the "rehabilitation operation" in Iraq and the coalition "operation against terrorism".
A small group of about six Royal Australian Air Force air traffic controllers are integrated into coalition forces at Balad Air Base near Baghdad, one of the air bases from which US aircraft fly from on their continuing bombing missions.
A RAAF C-130 Hercules detachment of about 150 personnel are providing intra-theatre air lift for coalition forces, with two transport aircraft, ground crew and other support elements.
While Howard is continuing to claim that there will be no increased deployment, despite requests from the White House, the Bulletin's Paul Daley has suggested that the establishment of a new ADF battalion might mean plans for an increase are already under way.
Australia is up to its neck in this war and we should stop pretending otherwise.
Despite the failure of the Australian media and political opposition to pay any attention, responsibility for the scandal of the second assault on Fallujah belongs with the Lodge as well as the White House. Those in Australia who continue to care should do what we can to make that clear.
[Damien Lawson is a member of the Greens and Sydney's Stop the War Coalition. This article was originally published at <http://www.contaminate.blogspot.com>.]
From Green Left Weekly, November 17, 2004.
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