The alleged drug use is likely to cause fury at the highest levels of the Defence Force.
Feature
The high jump
by David Fisher
Six Defence Force staff face a possible court martial for allegedly using drugs while in Afghanistan.
High in the Hindu Kush mountain range lies one of the main trafficking routes for drugs out of Afghanistan. The route goes straight through Bamyan province, which is under the guidance of the New Zealand Defence Force’s Provincial Reconstruction Team of about 120 people.
In the past, troops at the NZDF headquarters, called Kiwibase, have seized shipments of drugs and torched them in pits dug just outside the barbed wire and compound walls. This in itself is vexed – the unofficial New Zealand defence approach is not to target drug shipments in case Kiwi soldiers become a target for Afghani drug-lords.
Now, somehow, those drugs have made their way inside “the wire” and into the hands of soldiers. Six Defence Force staff are accused of indulging in personal drug use – a blot on five years of dedicated and proud Kiwi involvement in Bamyan.
The six defence staff were flown back to New Zealand in late March under the guard of five Kiwi military police, who had been sent to Bamyan to investigate allegations of drug abuse. Those accused are likely to face trial by court martial for the alleged use of hashish, a Class B drug, at Kiwibase.
New Zealand Army land component commander Brigadier Dave Gawn said a thorough investigation was conducted. “There is no tolerance for the use of drugs by service personnel, whether under instruction, in training or on operations. Such behaviour undermines the security, stability and reconstruction achievements of the more than 1200 NZDF personnel who have served in Afghanistan since 2003.”
The six will be disciplined if they are found to have used drugs. Disciplinary action may result in a punishment through the Armed Forces Discipline Act, which could mean a fine, a period in the service’s “correctional facility” at Burnham Military Camp or dismissal.
The alleged drug use is likely to cause fury at the highest levels of the Defence Force. New Zealand has one of the most successful provincial reconstruction teams operating in Afghanistan, hampered only by funding, which tends to be mainly sent to the conflict-rife southern regions.
That success is aided by Bamyan’s isolation – created by the Hindu Kush mountain range and underscored by the racial separatism of its Hazara people. Unlike other provincial reconstruction teams, of which there are 25, the six-monthly rotation of about 120 New Zealand troops has built strong relationships with local people.
Kiwibase overlooks Bamyan City, an hour’s flight from Bagram and at least eight hours’ drive. The province is only 200km by 300km, but with roads so rough it takes three days to drive across. It was here that Taleban leader Mulah Omar left the world baffled and disgusted with his 2001 demolition of giant Buddha statues.
Now, New Zealand sends out patrols to talk with villagers, farmers and elders about their concerns and needs. Irrigation, food shortages, clothing and housing problems are all covered in regular meetings. They also identify and arrange NZAID projects, including building schools and roads, replacing bridges and helping to develop hospitals. Involvement goes well beyond what is mandated though – a growing number of schools and orphanages proudly sport playgrounds built by Kiwi soldiers in their own time.
Patrols also distribute supplies and aid that has been shipped in for the needy. In Bamyan it is passed out with a smile. Other nation’s provincial reconstruction teams have been engaged in regular “contacts”, the military jargon for a fire-fight. At these places, soldiers are so nervous of the locals, they will not even slow down while kicking aid supplies out of the back of armoured cars roaring through villages.
But not even Bamyan is hazard-free. New Zealand troops have attracted occasional fire, although defence headquarters do not classify the occasional shot as a “contact”. Kiwi troops patrol with rifles and sidearms, and United States-made rocket launchers, wearing body armour.
Allegations of drug use by some of those Kiwi troops are unlikely to sit well with colleagues of the six accused. The NZDF has a low level of drug abuse. Only 1% of troops test positive to random drug tests – much lower than in commercial workplaces. Anonymous surveys have also identified a far lower level of drug experimentation among NZDF staff than the general populace.
