Defence releases report on insider attack

A defence report questions the protection give to three Australian diggers killed in Afghanistan. Source: AAP

A INQUIRY into the deaths of three soldiers at the hands of an Afghan National Army soldier is highly critical of short-falls in force protection, defence says.

The report on the insider attack, released on Wednesday, makes 22 findings of which around half relate to force protection.

"The inquiry officer found the decisions and actions in establishing and maintaining the force protection arrangements were at the minimum level of authorised protection to provide security for the soldiers," Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, said.

"However, they did not adequately address the specific situation at the patrol base, that potentially placed personnel at significant risk to the threat of fire."

On August 29, Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate were killed in the attack.

A person wearing an Afghan National Army uniform opened fire with an automatic weapon inside a patrol base 20km north of Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan province.

Two other diggers were wounded.

The assailant was identified as Sergeant Hek Matullah, an Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier.

He remains on the run.

Air Marshal Binskin said the inquiry officer found that having a single roving picket on duty at the base on the day was not adequate.

"He also found the decision to adopt a relaxed level of security - Australians were not in a state of readiness - was not in accordance with orders in place at the time," he said.

Some soldiers on the base were dressed in gym gear and not wearing their body armour.

"This limited their ability to react and was not in line with the usual existing standard operating procedures," Air Marshal Binskin said.

Two soldiers had since been disciplined over the pickets and inappropriate dress, he added.

"Although shortfalls in force protection were identified, the inquiry officer was not able to prove or disprove whether these arrangements directly or indirectly gave Hek Matullah the opportunity to attack Australian soldiers," Air Marshal Binskin said.

Intelligence had not highlighted a likely risk of insider attacks prior to the shooting, although Air Marshal Binskin said such threats were "complex and evolving".

"In terms of intelligence prior to this attack the inquiry officer found there was no intelligence available to Australia or (the) coalition to suggest there was a specific insider threat," he said.

Nor was there information that raised concerns about Hek Matullah.

"In fact, his existence was unremarkable from a personnel or intelligence perspective," Air Marshal Binskin said.

The inquiry officer found there was some truth in claims the Afghan National Army were aware of Hek Matullah's Taliban links, but that on this occasion he had acted independently.

"This is supported by the fact the Taliban has not claimed responsibility for the attack, as they normally do," Air Marshal Binskin said.

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