Name: Australian special forces shown posing with 'Southern Pride' Confederate flag in Afghanistan - ABC News
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Australian special forces shown posing with 'Southern Pride' Confederate flag in Afghanistan - ABC News

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Australian special forces shown posing with 'Southern Pride' Confederate flag in AfghanistanShareAustralian special forces soldiers photographed and filmed themselves posing with a Confederate flag while on operations in Afghanistan, ABC Investigations can reveal.A photo and a video show two SAS soldiers smiling and holding up the flag, which has the words "Southern Pride" emblazoned on it.An Australian Defence Force spokesperson said the ADF was not previously aware of the pictures and video, and so was not in a position to identify who was responsible.A former senior US army officer who did two combat tours of Afghanistan described the images as outrageous, saying the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and slavery."I served in Uruzgan Province with Australian forces in 2012," said Hal Johnston, a former lieutenant-colonel with the US 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team."This flag … is a symbol that should not have been displayed by any unit."It's been displayed by the Ku Klux Klan, by racist organisations, American Nazis have used it."I'm stunned that an Australian special forces unit was displaying [it] … ignorance is not an excuse."The photograph of the SAS soldiers holding the flag also features in a highlights video edited together by 3 Squadron SAS after its 2012 rotation of Afghanistan.In the raw 2012 video obtained by ABC Investigations, two SAS patrol members can be seen holding the Confederate flag and using it to guide a US Black Hawk helicopter to a landing zone after an Australian raid.As the helicopter lands, one of the soldiers slings the flag over his shoulder and helps the patrol escort six bound Afghan men to the landing zone.One member of the SAS patrol on that tour of Afghanistan told ABC Investigations he remembered the Confederate flag being held out the open door of the helicopter as they flew over the city of Tarin Kowt on their way back to their base.Another member of that SAS rotation told ABC Investigations he was unaware that his comrades had the flag, but said the use of it was "stupid" and "small-minded"."More likely than not this flag was given to them by an American unit," Mr Johnston said."So maybe it's as much an American problem as it is an Australian problem."Associate professor of sociology and former soldier Ben Wadham said the SAS soldiers should have known what the Confederate flag stood for."Two SAS troopers holding a Confederate flag in Afghanistan suggests that the culture is breaking down," he said."What it indicates … and we've seen this over time, is that there is a strong race politics in the Australian Defence Force."At some level I think the troopers know very much what the Confederate flag represents. It does represent slavery and white supremacy, and I think that in some way they are connecting with those ideas."The ADF spokesperson said the incident would be reviewed."The ADF does not condone behaviours, gestures, flags or symbology that are unprofessional or found to be supporting extremist ideologies," they said."Such behaviours are inconsistent with the Defence values of professionalism, integrity, courage and teamwork."Any ADF member found to be associated with extremist ideologies may face administrative or disciplinary sanctions."Last week, the US Department of Defense announced a new policy on all military property. In 2018, from their vehicle while on patrol in Afghanistan in 2007.At the time Defence told the ABC that it rejected "as abhorrent everything this flag represents".It said the commander took immediate action to have the Nazi flag taken down and that the personnel involved were cautioned and counselled."The fact that that happened in 2007, and you were having this happening again, five years later, when I was over there, I find to be an indication of a lack of leadership within the SAS," said Mr Johnston.ABC Investigations has also seen images of special forces soldiers wearing so-called "skull masks", including at least one soldier in the video showing the Confederate flag.In 2018, a ban was imposed on soldiers using "death-style" imagery.21 Jul 202021 Jul 2020Tue 21 Jul 2020 at 6:59pm, 21 Jul 202021 Jul 2020Tue 21 Jul 2020 at 9:41pmMore on:

Australian special forces shown posing with 'Southern Pride' Confederate flag in AfghanistanShareAustralian special forces soldiers photographed and filmed themselves posing with a Confederate flag while on operations in Afghanistan, ABC Investigations can reveal.A photo and a video show two SAS soldiers smiling and holding up the flag, which has the words "Southern Pride" emblazoned on it.An Australian Defence Force spokesperson said the ADF was not previously aware of the pictures and video, and so was not in a position to identify who was responsible.A former senior US army officer who...

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Australian special forces shown posing with 'Southern Pride' Confederate flag in Afghanistan - ABC News

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