Posted on 02/10/2012 5:00:17 PM PST by BlackVeil
A former member of the Afghan army who seriously wounded three Australian troops last year has boasted about the attack in a video posted online.
Muhammed Rozi shot the diggers along with two Afghans at a patrol base in Uruzgan province in November.
He opened fire on his mentors from a watchtower at the base, using an automatic weapon and grenade launcher to inflict maximum damage.
It was the third attack by a Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier on Australian troops in 2011, and came 10 days after three Australians were killed and seven were wounded when another Afghan soldier turned his weapon on his trainers.
In May, one Australian soldier was killed when a member of the ANA opened fire.
Rozi's whereabouts have been a mystery since then, but this week an interview with the former soldier appeared on a jihadi website.
During the interview Rozi said he had one thing on his mind that day: killing foreigners and teaching them a lesson.
He claimed many of his colleagues in the Afghan National Army dreamed of committing similar attacks.
A translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute reveals the attack was carefully premeditated, with Rozi taking the time to watch his targets through binoculars before opening fire.
"I had been with the ANA for one-and-a-half years. During this time I had one mission in my mind - to kill foreigners and teach them a lesson," he said.
He says he had initially been working alone, but that he was quickly taken in by the Taliban after fleeing the scene in a stolen humvee.
"I asked, is there a Muslim who can save me, I have gunned down 12 foreigners. Then a white-beared old man held my hand and said 'here it's Taliban and mujahedeen territory, we will help you'," Rozi said, according to the MEMRI translation.
Rozi said he wanted to teach the troops a lesson that Muslims in Afghanistan would not accept the presence of foreigners.
The Defence Department has described the video as one of many released in an ongoing insurgent propaganda campaign.
In a statement released overnight, a defence spokesperson said Rozi was clearly relying on the insurgency for support following his cowardly attack.
The Defence Department says the ADF is working closely with local Afghan authorities to find Rozi.
Experts believe the Taliban-produced video provides an important clue to his whereabouts.
Tufail Ahmad from the Middle East Media Research Institute says Rozi could still be in Afghanistan or the tribal regions of Pakistan.
"It's often the case that someone from outside, someone from Al Qaeda's media arm, goes to that region and interviews them on the front. So many of the big Taliban leaders are interviewed in that region," he said.
Thirty-three Australians have been killed while serving in Afghanistan: 32 with the Australian Defence Force and one with the British Armed Forces.
I say it’s time we (and our few allies) let the bronze-age (if they’ve reached that stage) Afghan barbarians stew in their Taliban juices.
Nothing ever seems to move forward in Afghanistan. I can see the sense in what you are saying.
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