As loved ones and family members of Sapper James Martin prepare to say goodbye to the Australian soldier, the Taliban has taken to Twitter to glorify an Afghan rogue accused of murdering him along with two other soldiers in Afghanistan.
Last week, the Taliban shared a photo of former Afghan army sergeant Hekmatullah on Twitter.
In the image, he stands before a microphone bearing an apparent Taliban symbol.
The accompanying caption reads: “Hikmatullah, hero who shot dead 6 Australian invaders, wounded 4 on 30th August 2012.”
The Taliban often inflates casualty numbers.
On August 29, Sapper Martin was shot dead at a patrol base in Oruzgan province, alongside Lance Corporal Stjepan “Rick” Milosevic and Private Robert Poate, all members of the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) Task Group.
The image implies that Hekmatullah is sheltered by the Taliban, likely in an area with electricity and internet access.
The Taliban claims Hekmatullah has joined fighters in the mountainous terrain near Chora Valley, where the ambush occurred.
However, there are also speculations regarding his potential escape to Pakistan, which would place him beyond the reach of Australian and Afghan forces hunting for him.
And should we welcome individuals like this into our country?
While there may be decent Muslims among us, there certainly exist many sympathizers, possibly more than one might assume.
These individuals aren’t soldiers; they’re terrorists.
Remember this: “Not every Muslim is a terrorist, but every terrorist seems to be a Muslim.”
by Mike Hansom
