JF Aus,

It's apparently quite difficult to take prints from a deceased person - and the conditions have to be optimal. Forensic teams go to a extreme lengths to attempt such a thing - and often fail even when the conditions are near perfect.

I suspect that the condition of the hands would have been far from that in the middle of a torrid theatre of war.

"...Do you understand Poirot? Nobody I know of except you Poirot, has indicated they fingerprint all dead Taliban."

Gawd!...that was my point, JF Aus

There is no comprehensive database, even if they could get prints of those hands.

I think the explanation for the taking of those hands is bollocks.

"I am not a defence expert but I am becoming somewhat of an expert from reading people like yourself Poirot, using whatever non sense you can spin to discredit members of the present government. Are you one of Shorten's union army mentioned in some papers?"

Goodness me, an "expert" no less.

Yep, well I'm growing accustom to your simple-minded retorts on here too, JF Aus.

They're quite something!

Poirot,

Try this for a simple-minded retort.
You do not need to lower yourself with ad hom when you are unable to provide sensible reply. If my retorts are simple as you claim, give me an example if you can. I might then be able to elaborate to enlighten you.

As for fingerprinting, there is no problem for about 3-4 hours, until rigor mortis sets in.
http://www.ehow.com/how_8431441_fingerprint-dead-rigor-mortis.html

I think our armed forces go on patrol or mount missions when fighting the Taliban and accordingly they do not sleep in trenches or camp near the enemy overnight. SAS likely return to base by helicopter, including with fresh evidence. So freshly killed enemy fingers would not be difficult to fingerprint. If i am incorrect please let me know. RIP that Taliban.

I think taking hands would infuriate the enemy but perhaps sometimes such things have to be done. In comparison, look at what the Taliban does as a matter of course.

How do you think Malcolm Turnbull would handle such need for fingerprints, compared to Bill Shorten?
There is now digital fingerprint technology but carrying weight of fragile extra equipment for rarely needed fingerprints, instead of carrying extra ammunition, I think would be out of the question.

Try to give Mr Hastie some respect for doing his job and doing it as best he could.

JF Aus,

"You do not need to lower yourself with ad hom when you are unable to provide sensible reply...."

Oh you mean like these ad hom's you sprinkled around earlier on this thread?

"SteeleRedux, are you crazy?"

"doog, please correct you wording and sentences and ask your question properly."

"....I am becoming somewhat of an expert from reading people like yourself Poirot, using whatever non sense you can spin to discredit members of the present government...."

(hypocrite)

It's a dubious proposition to suggest that hands of deceased fighters, taken hurriedly in the field in Afghanistan, and transported willy-nilly to any sort of ad hoc lab, would be in any condition to be fingerprinted by the time it was convenient to do so.

This is my point.

It's not as if these "fingers" were undisturbed in situ at a crime scene where forensics could carefully use techniques to attempt to recover prints.

Dear JF Aus,

What on earth is this?

“How do you think Malcolm Turnbull would handle such need for fingerprints, compared to Bill Shorten?“

The Australian high command thought so little of this method they shut down operations for a week. There has been an investigation ongoing for over 2 years into the incident. The International Security Assistance Force that had overall command of international troops in Afghanistan was said to have taken the matter “extremely seriously”.

I would hope and expect both Turnbull and Shorten to have taken the matter extremely seriously as well. What would you rather they do?

You however seem to want it as SOP.

Well what is the next step? Perhaps this?

“A Gurkha soldier of British troops in Afghanistan has been ordered to return and is facing court martial after he decapitated a dead Taliban fighter with his ceremonial knife to prove the militant's identity. The soldier, who is in his early 20s, initially told investigators that he unsheathed his khukri - the symbolic weapon of the Gurkhas - after running out of ammunition, army sources said. But later the Taliban fighter was mutilated so his identity could be verified through DNA tests.”
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/gurkha-soldier-removed-for-beheading-taliban-man/article1-574242.aspx

Is this okay in your book? It certainly isn't in mine.

Cont...

Cont...

Then there was this little gem from you;

“Why not commend Hastie for having the guts to be a sitting duck target up there in a helicopter.”

I have no idea of the bravery of Hastie although I suspect it is very high, but to intimate that he was presenting himself as a sitting duck by being “above and away in a helicopter, orbiting overhead” (Hastie's words), is inane. By far the biggest threat to life and limb from being in a helicopter in Afghanistan was from mechanical failure or pilot error. Of the very few claimed by enemy fire most were taken out by RPGs either on or just above the ground such is the bereft nature of the military capabilities of those they were fighting. I suspect those in his troop on the ground fighting at close quarters might have a different idea of what constituted the safer situation between his and theirs.

I believe Hastie did have a case to answer when someone under his command broke the rules of engagement and caused the Australian contingent to be withdrawn from the battlefield for a week compromising an ongoing operation. Failures obviously occurred.

Now he may well have answered that case in a military setting but he also has to answer it to the people of Canning. I think he is being badly advised, he needs to park the jingoistic clap trap and speak frankly about the incident without hiding behind the Abbotts and Bishops and Bolts of this world

No wonder defence force recruitment is becoming much harder.

Even an idiot can see most of our lefties are not worth defending.

Why would any sane person risk their lives, or serious injury when they are likely to come back, if they do, to a ruined country, controlled by ratbags.