Sticky's_Queen
04-07-2008, 08:28 PM
Six New Zealand soldiers have been sent home from Afghanistan and will face trial for allegedly using drugs while on active service there.
The Defence Force says it has a zero tolerance policy because soldiers who use drugs cannot be trusted on the battlefield.
The young men now face a court martial and their New Zealand Army careers hang in the balance.
There are 120 Kiwi troops serving in Afghanistan but for six soldiers their tour of duty has come to a premature end.
"These six soldiers have been accused of using hashish, a Class B drug, and as a consequence of that and the investigations that were conducted in Afghanistan they've been bought home to face a court martial," says Brigadier Dave Gawn of the NZ Army.
The junior soldiers are from Linton Army Camp near Palmerston North .
"It really does tear at the fabric of what the Defence Force is about and unless you can trust implicitly, absolutely every soldier that's at the left and on your right, then they have no place to be there," says Gawn.
The Defence Force claims the soldiers were using drugs at the Kiwi contingent's base in Bamyan province. New Zealand troops have been there building schools, bridges and hospitals.
Despite the scandal, the Army wants New Zealanders to have faith in NZ troops.
"They're professional soldiers an certainly we as the rest of New Zealand can be proud of them," say Gawn.
Massey University Director of Defence Studies Glyn Harper says any drug use in the military reflects what is going on in society.
"Drugs are an inherent problem in most westernised societies and the Army is really no different from the societies they're drawn from. But they do have higher standards in terms of ethical behaviour and so on," says Harper.
The Army is well aware it's not just hashish that's available in Afghanistan. According to a United Nations report last year, Afghanistan remains the chief supplier of illegal opium in the world .
Back in 2004, ONE News reported on New Zealand troops providing training for people who would otherwise be forced into drugs. Now they are dealing with the issue themselves.
The six soldiers face a court martial in August and if found guilty their Army careers could be over.
The Defence Force says it has a zero tolerance policy because soldiers who use drugs cannot be trusted on the battlefield.
The young men now face a court martial and their New Zealand Army careers hang in the balance.
There are 120 Kiwi troops serving in Afghanistan but for six soldiers their tour of duty has come to a premature end.
"These six soldiers have been accused of using hashish, a Class B drug, and as a consequence of that and the investigations that were conducted in Afghanistan they've been bought home to face a court martial," says Brigadier Dave Gawn of the NZ Army.
The junior soldiers are from Linton Army Camp near Palmerston North .
"It really does tear at the fabric of what the Defence Force is about and unless you can trust implicitly, absolutely every soldier that's at the left and on your right, then they have no place to be there," says Gawn.
The Defence Force claims the soldiers were using drugs at the Kiwi contingent's base in Bamyan province. New Zealand troops have been there building schools, bridges and hospitals.
Despite the scandal, the Army wants New Zealanders to have faith in NZ troops.
"They're professional soldiers an certainly we as the rest of New Zealand can be proud of them," say Gawn.
Massey University Director of Defence Studies Glyn Harper says any drug use in the military reflects what is going on in society.
"Drugs are an inherent problem in most westernised societies and the Army is really no different from the societies they're drawn from. But they do have higher standards in terms of ethical behaviour and so on," says Harper.
The Army is well aware it's not just hashish that's available in Afghanistan. According to a United Nations report last year, Afghanistan remains the chief supplier of illegal opium in the world .
Back in 2004, ONE News reported on New Zealand troops providing training for people who would otherwise be forced into drugs. Now they are dealing with the issue themselves.
The six soldiers face a court martial in August and if found guilty their Army careers could be over.