FED:No failures in deadly Afghan battle: ADF

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2012
FED:No failures in deadly Afghan battle: ADF

By Lisa Martin

CANBERRA, Feb 2 AAP - Claims that Australian troops in Afghanistan were not properly
supported during a major battle in which one soldier was killed are untrue, an inquiry
has determined.

Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, 28, died in an intense firefight with Taliban insurgents
in Afghanistan in August 2010.

Another 6th Battalion soldier subsequently told a friend in an email that was leaked
to the media that it was a miracle that more Australians did not die in the battle.

The soldier claimed there were shortcomings in terms of access to fire support, ammunition
and intelligence.

But an Australian Defence Force inquiry has found those claims were not true.

"The inquiry officer found there were no weaknesses in the defensive fire support plan,"

vice chief of the defence force Air Marshal Mark Binskin told reporters in Canberra on
Thursday.

The soldier who sent the email later told his superiors he had sent the email as a
form of venting.

"Understandably, at the time the soldier wrote the email he was grieving and searching
for something to blame for the death of his close friend," Air Marshal Binskin said.

"No action has been taken against the soldier who raised these issues."

The inquiry officer found there was no failure to make mortar support available to
the patrol during the battle.

"Mortars were in fact ready for action but were not called on to fire," Air Marshal
Binskin said, adding they were not an appropriate weapons system for the circumstances
and would not have saved the fallen soldier's life.

He said the use of mortars in this fire fight would have caused casualties to civilians
and Australian and Afghan troops.

None of the soldiers exhausted their total ammunition supply during the battle.

Air Marshal Binskin said the inquiry found there was no failing in the intelligence
reporting for the incident.

He said Lance Corporal MacKinney had been an experienced and skilled soldier and a family man.

Air Marshal Binskin denied the soldiers had been ambushed.

"There's no doubt that as the patrol entered the village (Derapet) the atmospherics
began to change," he said, adding the patrol commander had done a great job of assessing
the situation and had already begun deploying his force as they came to the end of the
village.

"I wouldn't say it was an ambush. I would say they engaged on their own terms."

The inquiry found Lance Corporal MacKinney had died instantly after being shot in the
left arm half an hour into battle, despite the best efforts of those administering first
aid.

The inquiry found no deficiencies in Lance Corporal MacKinney's body armour.

"The body armour must be balanced with the individual's ability to operate effectively,"

Air Marshal Binskin said, adding the equipment could never provide an absolute guarantee
of protection.

The inquiry officer found three procedural fire support co-ordination issues between
Australian and coalition forces but they did not have any bearing on Lance Corporal MacKinney's
death.

Air Marshal Binskin said the firefight had been intense and four soldiers had been
recognised in the recent Australia Day honours list.

Lance Corporal MacKinney is survived by his wife Beckie, pre-school daughter Annabell
and a toddler son Noah he never got to meet.

Mrs MacKinney gave birth to Noah hours after her husband's funeral.

His family has received a copy of the report but will not be responding publicly and
have requested privacy.

Air Marshal Binskin said defence aimed to fast-track inquiries into fatalities to give
families closure.

The inquiry into Lance Corporal MacKinney's death took 18 months.

"It's no doubt this took longer than it should have," he said.

The department wants to reduce delays but would not give a specific timeframe for the
release of future reports because inquiries often had different levels of complexity.

AAP lpm/rl/jsh/de

KEYWORD: MACKINNEY WRAP (WITH PIX AND VIDEO)

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