Posted on 08/17/2021 5:39:45 PM PDT by naturalman1975
Former prime minister John Howard has defended the US-led war on terror in the wake of Afghanistan’s rapid and violent fall to the Taliban following the withdrawal of US troops.
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“September 11 had been an attack on the American way of life and, because of our shared values, it was also therefore an attack on (Australia’s) way of life,” Mr Howard wrote.
He said the US-Australian alliance was a relationship “forged in the Indo-Pacific, strengthened during the war on terror and permanently part of (Australia’s) future security.”
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US President Joe Biden has come under fire after he claimed the US military operation in Afghanistan was purely aimed at preventing a terror attack on American soil and not about improving life for the Afghan people.
“Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be about nation building – what it has always been is preventing a terrorism attack on the American homeland,” Mr Biden said on Monday.
Former Australian ambassador to Israel and current Liberal MP Dave Sharma said he was “disappointed” by Mr Biden’s speech.
“In Afghanistan, we were never going to create Singapore or Central Asia, but we also never wanted to leave a failed state or a state of deep civil war,” he told the ABC on Tuesday.
But Mr Howard said Australia’s assistance during the war of terror was part of a “debt” owed to the US after their help during World War II.
“(Australia’s) commitment (during the war on terror) was a statement of friendship and solidarity – an expression that America and Australia stand together in a common cause,” he wrote.
“Although our military and intelligence services have long had close associations, the campaigns we have fought alongside each other undoubtedly strengthened those bonds.”
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
I miss John Howard. Tony Abbott too!
The WOT missed a critical hotspot: Pakistan.
He's completely out of his mind and consideration should be given to removing him (though that's no bargain either).
As an American, I have always felt some kinship with Australians.
I can imagine for many Australians, they might not want to admit to the reverse these days, and I would have a hard time blaming them.
Hope all is well with you and yours down there.
Very good to hear. What little I know about Mr Howard suggests to me that he’s an outstanding man.
Since having fallen in love with Australia during my first visit (1979) I can attest to the fact that they're great,great people. And as for Aussie soldiers ("Diggers") a good buddy of mine who served in Vietnam had contact with the Diggers and had nothing but the highest praise for them.
Yes...the Japanese who fought them in WWII had very high praise for them as fighters!
(They thought that we Americans just used way too much ammunition and ate too much food...probably true, but we beat em too...)
I stumbled upon this video a few years ago...around the time I was learning what "Waltzing Matilda" really meant (for years I thought it was about a guy dancing with his wife). I think it's pretty powerful...particularly when you understand that the song is their unofficial national anthem.
Hey, there’s no point bringing ammunition home. It’s heavy.
We killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. What else did we need to do?
Country and Western is a bit of a niche in Australia but she is one of the most popular in that genre - she’s now the host of one of the country’s most popular C&W radio programs.
She’s gay and when that became widespread knowledge, some of her former fans gave up on her, including some who loved Poster Girl. Personally I think they’re hypocrites in that case. Her private life is none of my business, I just love this song.
Your country should commit suicide. It is that bad lately. End the torment, pull the plug.
Considering the amount of lies you’ve probably read about my country lately, I’m not surprised you think that.
Unfortunately a hell of a lot of lies are being spread on this site and others about Australia.
It’s not perfect here - but it’s not as bad as the crap Americans are apparently willing to swallow.
Good man
Amen. We ran tandem patrols with the 1st RAR during Tet 68. These were the lads you definitely wanted on your flanks. Plus I traded my helmet for a great boonie hat with them and wore it till I left.
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