Govt embarrassed by Bush’s award to SAS
The Government seems to be embarrassed by George Bush’s award to the New Zealand SAS, says Green MP Keith Locke.
The Defence Ministry last night confirmed that President George Bush presented a US unit citation to the New Zealand SAS
in a ceremony in San Diego ten days ago.
“It is bad enough that the Government has put a blanket of secrecy over everything the SAS did in Afghanistan,” said Mr
Locke, the Green Party’s Defence Spokesperson.
“But it is laughable when they hide the fact that George Bush has given our special forces an award; what are they
embarrassed about?
“The Government has good cause to keep quiet about the SAS’s involvement in Afghanistan. Reports keep coming out about
the dirty nature of the American war there. Torture has been widespread, both to prisoners detained at Bagram airbase
near Kabul and those sent on to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. It is unlikely our SAS mistreated prisoners, but they probably
helped the American troops capture them.
“As in Iraq, civilians have born the brunt of the US war on Afghanistan, with air raids killing innocent people and many
others being harassed as American troops sweep through the countryside.
“It is about time our Government came clean on what our troops were doing in Afghanistan. Security can be a reason for
withholding some information, but not for a total blackout,” said Mr Locke.