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Last updated on August 4th, 2017 at 01:32 pm
Two Australian contractors have been murdered in Iraq:
The Queenslanders, aged 34 and 38, had been working as contractors training the Iraqi Police Force. Another Australian man, 38, and a Filipino were injured. They were in a stable condition in hospital last night …
Greg Hunt, parliamentary secretary to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, said the earliest reports were that the men were travelling in a car when it was disabled by an explosive device on the road.
“The car was disabled and our information is that the men then got out of the first car and ran to a second vehicle and that … vehicle was then struck by some sort of projectile,” he said.
Eleven Australians have so far been killed in Iraq. They were there to help rebuild the place.
- Sorry to hear about the loss of your fellow countrymen, mates. My heart and prayers go out to their families. And I do pray for them, every day.Posted by Texas Bob on 2007 07 15 at 12:41 PM • permalink
- My condolences to the families of these brave men.Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 07 15 at 12:45 PM • permalink
Eleven Australians have so far been killed in Iraq. They were there to help rebuild the place.
I must admit, sometimes I wonder if it’s worth trying to rebuild Iraq and changing the Middle East into something approaching civilization. And yes, I realize the irony of that statement, being that the Levant/Mesopotamia was the Cradle of Civilization.
I have less sympathy for those people with each passing day.
Posted by wronwright on 2007 07 15 at 01:20 PM • permalink
- “They were there to help rebuild the place.”
May God rest their souls and comfort their families.
This is on a scale with 18 dead US Soldiers in Mogadishu in the 90’s. Those Rangers weren’t there for land or treasure or women. They were there to feed people. Same result here. I am getting “compassion fatigue” over the whole enterprise. While I am not of the “nuke Mecca” crowd, clearly a more robust program is in order, but I suspect one is not forthcoming.
Posted by Vanguard of the Commentariat on 2007 07 15 at 02:04 PM • permalink
- My thoughts and prayers are with these brave souls and their loved ones.Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 07 15 at 02:25 PM • permalink
- My condolences and sympathies.Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 07 15 at 03:34 PM • permalink
- “…I realize the irony of that statement, being that the Levant/Mesopotamia was the Cradle of Civilization.’‘
Sergeant Ivan (now back in the civilian world) is wont to say that it might be the cradle of civiliation, but Civilization grew up and moved elsewhere.
I am so sorry for your losses.
Posted by Sonetka’s Mom on 2007 07 15 at 05:44 PM • permalink
- My sympathies to the families of the brave men who died trying to make the world a better place, killed by those who want the world to be a living hell.Posted by SwampWoman on 2007 07 15 at 07:35 PM • permalink
- Just adding my condolences and prayers to the list.Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 07 15 at 08:01 PM • permalink
- They weren’t killed by the Iraqis they were trying to help. They were killed by the same terrorists—many from countries other than Iraq—who are trying to prevent Iraqis from being helped. Saying you have “compassion fatigue” because Iraqis who want a free and democratic nation have enemies—who happen to be our enemies—is in effect saying “this is too haaaard.” Well, those men who went there didn’t think it was. And considering in past wars you lost many more people than in this one… I sometimes wonder if we are worth saving. Let’s just say I get compassion fatigue fatigue.Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 07 15 at 08:40 PM • permalink
- Whilst I understand why people are worn out with the Iraq situation I cannot help but agree with Andrea. Lets us not also forget things like the Anbar Salvation Council. The Iraqis have taken the time but they are getting it now, big time.Posted by the nailgun on 2007 07 15 at 09:28 PM • permalink
- My condolences to the families and friends of these brave men.
A former Australian soldier and a former Queensland police officer, working to help rebuild that benighted country, and murdered by barbarians.
Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2007 07 15 at 09:39 PM • permalink
- 18 Andrea, as one who has served myself, and who comes from a long line of those who have served since Mr. Lincoln’s Army, I respectfully believe you have misread me. My resentment is not directed at those who fight for their own liberty, rather at those, both foreign and especially domestic, who claim the mantle of “compassion” in all matters, yet either actively work against it or do nothing but castigate those who resolve to act on true compassion. I have lost friends and one family member whose only aim was to make the world a better place, in several conflicts and in peacetime training. I know that is our place in the world, it is the price we must pay for our own liberty and for our continued security. I have no illusions about that. But that does not keep me from venting my anger at the continued loss of the best the world can produce, clearly including the fine gentlemen cited here.Posted by Vanguard of the Commentariat on 2007 07 15 at 10:59 PM • permalink
hey were killed by the same terrorists—many from countries other than Iraq—who are trying to prevent Iraqis from being helped.
And they’re mostly Saudi’s – of the 19,000 insurgents held, 135 are non-Iraqi’s. Yep, only 135, 0.7%.
And of them, 50% were Saudi. Iranians and Hizbollah were notable by their absence.
So all this talk of ‘foreign fighters’ is largely a bunch of crap. What foreign fighters there are from our supposed ally, Saudi Arabia, but you won’t hear the White House mention that of course.
We are fighting Iraqi nationalists, non-Al Qaeda Sunnis.
Oh, and Al-Maliki says we can go home now anyway.
- bongo lied as follows:
We are fighting Iraqi nationalists, non-Al Qaeda Sunnis.
Tell that to the tribal chiefs in Anbar. Or to Iraqis in Baqubah.
Feel free to educate yourself any time.
Posted by Crispytoast on 2007 07 15 at 11:37 PM • permalink
- God Bless these men for their work to help a people to a better life. God Bless their family and friends in their time of grief.
If we lose heart from actions such as these by our enemy, then the death of men such as these will have served the enemy.
If we lose heart and give up at any point short of full victory, then all the suffering and loss will have been for less than nothing. It will have been to inspire and amplify the motivations of all enemy to follow.
Giving up is the worse betrayal possible.
- Yeah what Grimmy said. The real men and women of Iraq have already shown us that they’re not cowering defeatists. (I sure can’t remember having to vote under threat of assassination.)
RIP the fallen good guys. It’s not in vain.
A pox on those sniggering on the sidelines at every Iraqi and western forces misfortune!
- If I may take a second to tell you about Brendan HURST.
Former QPS Sergeant Brendan HURST was one of the fittest and most professional men I ever had the pleasure of serving with.
He was my fitness instructor at the Queensland Police Academy in 1996. He was great at motivating the Recruits to new fitness heights. He was a very skilled instructor in wrestling and restraining techniques. I cannot tell you how much Hursty taught me that has helped me and my squadmates survive Policing on the streets.
The thing I remember most was returning to the Academy after 6 months on the road and Hursty getting on the piss with us and laughing at all our ‘war’ stories.
Hursty was a scholar and a gentleman. I always thought there was no way anyone would ever get the better of this guy. Looks like it took a bunch of fucking cowards with a roadside IED to prove me wrong.
Bet you he’s at the perly gates showing St Peter how to chuck on a proper ‘Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint’.
God speed mate…
- Notice “bongo” doesn’t give any source of his statistics.Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 07 16 at 06:24 AM • permalink
- The sad thing about all this is that Rudd and this nation’s lefties are probably disappointed that these two selfless souls were not regular services.
The loss of regular service soldiers in Iraq would be the straw that breaks the camels back and bring Labor home on a wet sail in the coming election.
I believe that the views espoused on this blog are of the minority in this country.
Sad nation that we are.May they rest in peace.
- #29 Skip
As bloke who is engaged to a NSW cop, and has a little brother and a brother in law as serving members of the QPS, my words aren’t enough to express what I feel for his family and mates.
As for ‘cowards’ yes, that’s the general term, but the media like to call them ‘insurgents’.
Just people who are too gutless to stand up and fight, killing kids or soldiers, or in this case, contractors by stealth, is their game.
Vale Mr Hurst. May God look after you now, and your family remember you with love.
- #30 Ash_
I’m afraid I’m not that good with the internet, but from the stuff we get at work, he was full of sh*t. Iranian ‘diplomats’ my arse.Thanks is all anyone who serves needs, then only rarely. I respect you and others (Zoe, for one) who go through things I never will, and find the strength to do so.
I just do a job, luckily, I don’t suck too badly at it. 🙂
I just emailed my little brother to see if there is a fund for Mr Hurst’s family, but I think he’s working, so I won’t get an answer till tomorrow, but I think it would be a good gesture to give something back to his family.
- For all those who see any “resistance” or “insurgency” as some sort of twisted proof that we should not be there: it also happened in Germany. Much less effective, yes. But then, they were not so culturally deranged (no cousins who were large mice or bees; perhaps somewerewolves) – and the Germans were more comprehensively subdued by a long assault during which civilians suffered huge damage.
- #35 blogstrop
Yes, they used children, much as our enemy now does, but it was too late for them, the forces against them were unstoppable, in the sense that, if they didn’t keep moving, things would have just been prolonged. The rape of Germany by the Soviets is well documented, but so are the casualty figures for both Allied armies.
Unfortunately, no politician these days wants to have to face up to civilian deaths, but if the population is in an urban environment, there always will be. Sad fact is, we lose more people this way, but none of it is on the scale of WW1 or WW2.
- My sincere condolences to their families.
Elizabeth
Imperial KeeperPosted by Elizabeth Imperial Keeper on 2007 07 16 at 01:00 PM • permalink
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