Australian troops using faulty weapons: report (in Iraq and Afghanistan)

[Barrett808]

Source: ABC Radio Australia

Australia's Federal Labor Opposition has seized on reports that Australian soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been using faulty equipment, saying the Government is letting down the country's troops.

Freedom of Information documents from the Defence Force have revealed malfunctions to rifles, pistols and machine guns.

The Prime Minister says there is no systemic problem with weapons used by Australian troops.

But Labor's defence spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, says there should be an audit of the weapons in the field.

"We accept isolated incidents but this is obviously a systemic failure going all the way from pistols to rifles through to machine guns and even grenade launchers. The howard Government's always talking up its national security credentials and its commitment to our troops but it appears they've let our boys on the frontline very very badly," he says.

Read more: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2017041.htm

[ohio2007]

1. How many Australian troops have been killed in Afghanistan and or Iraq ? nt