An Afghan community activist mocked the Victoria Cross recipient’s name when he suggested security checks should be carried out on those seeking refugee status. Taliban.
Daniel Keigran was awarded Australia’s highest military honour, displayed in August 2010 when a combined Australian Afghan National Army Patrol came under sustained attack.
38-year-old war veteran who has served tours of duty in East Timor, Iraq And Afghanistan, told ABC’s Q&A program that Afghans applying for refugee status should be subject to security checks.
“My caution in this regard is that as long as the right checks and balances or checks are done, background checks of individuals, before opening the floodgates, are very important.
During the conflict that saw 41 Australian soldiers between 2001 and 2013, Mr Keigran based his calls on the Taliban to infiltrate the Afghan National Army and lead Australian troops toward improvised explosive devices.
“The Afghan National Army commander on the ground was working for the Taliban,” he said.
‘I also have many stories of other veterans – their interpreters working for the Taliban guiding coalition forces in the IEDS.’
Under pressure from Q&A host David Spears, Mr Keigran said some Afghan refugees could be potential terrorists, as the Islamic Taliban this week took control of Kabul following the withdrawal of US forces after two decades.
‘They already have no doubt so why won’t they do it again? I went to Afghanistan to fight the problems in Afghanistan.
‘Let’s not import those problems into Australia.’
Afghan Australian Diana Syed, chief executive of the Australian Muslim Women’s Center for Human Rights, was initially so upset that she misspelled Mr. Kegran’s name.
‘I absolutely, categorically refute that determination, Darren,’ she said.
Afghan Australian Diana Saeed, chief executive of the Australian Muslim Women’s Human Rights Centre, was initially so upset with the Victoria Cross recipient that she got her name wrong and scoffed at it after being called for a security check on Afghans fleeing the Taliban.
When Spears revealed her name is Daniel, Ms. Syed scoffed at the name of the Victoria Cross recipient.
‘Daniel. Pardon me. Daniel, Darren, David. We are missing important political analysis here. That’s the kind of security lens you’re looking at Afghans – we are the people,’ she said.
Ms. Saeed was outraged that Afghan refugees were framed as a security threat when many of the asylum seekers are from the Persian-speaking Hazara minority who have been targeted by the Taliban.
He said, ‘That’s the kind of security lens you’re looking at Afghans – we are the people.’
‘We have culture, we have rich history, we are poets, we are academics, we are not here only to serve your purpose in war, we have agency.
Ms. Saeed was outraged that Afghan refugees were framed as a security threat, when many of the asylum seekers are from the Persian-speaking Hazara minority who have been targeted by the Taliban (pictured on a plane at Kabul airport). The Afghans climbing on are hoping to escape)
‘We are here to tell you that we are human beings, deserving of security, like no one else and seeing us through that security lens of refugees, there is little, of a potential security threat to Australia That you are leveling us as one people.’
Australia has reserved 3,000 places for Afghans fleeing the Taliban within its current annual humanitarian intake of 13,750.
The third Australian Defense Force flight carrying 60 passengers from Kabul arrived at Australia’s Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign Minister Maris Payne confirmed that the board includes Australians, Afghan visa holders and families.
This was the third flight from Afghanistan after Britain carried 76 Australians and visa holders.
An Australian government-scheduled flight has arrived in Perth (pictured international airport) from Al Minhad to bring in the first refugees to Australia since Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia was committed to the evacuation of all Australian citizens from Afghanistan.
The situation in Kabul remains chaotic. We are engaged in constant messaging and contact with those we wish to evacuate,’ he said.
More Australian citizens and visa holders have been evacuated from Afghanistan by the second rescue flight.
An Australian government-scheduled flight from Al Minhad has arrived in Perth to bring in the first refugees to Australia since Kabul was captured by the Taliban.
Australia has historically been generous to refugees fleeing conflict and extremist rule.
Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser accepted 50,000 people from Vietnam after Saigon came under communist control in 1975.
In 1976 his government allowed 16,000 refugees from the Lebanese civil war to enter Australia, including many Muslims.
Labor’s Bob Hawke allowed 42,000 Chinese students to settle in Australia after the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing in June 1989.
Tony Abbott’s coalition government allowed 12,000 Syrians to settle in Australia in 2015 after ISIS took over large parts of the Middle East.
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