Family of slain Digger hope lessons learnt from son’s murder

The father of an Aussie Digger murdered by a rogue Afghan soldier has told of his heartbreak over the killer’s release from jail.

The family of an Australian soldier killed by a rogue Afghan soldier in 2012 have spoken of their heartbreak at the news their son’s killer has been released from jail and now likely feted as a hero.

But Hugh Poate, the father of Private Robert Poate, said he just hoped lessons had been learnt by the Australian Defence Force before it again gets dragged into another unwinnable war this time in Asia.

Private Robert “Poatey” Poate was one of three Aussie soldiers murdered while by a rogue Aussie soldier while playing cards during down time. Picture: Facebook

Rogue Afghan soldier Hekmatullah murdered three Australian soldiers – Lance Corporal Stjepan “Rick” Milosevic, Private Robert Poate, and Sapper James Martin – in the name of the Taliban in 2012 at the Australian troops’ base in Uruzgan province.

He was quietly released from a jail in Qatar on August 18 after the fall of Kabul in Afghanistan to Taliban forces that have longed hailed him a hero for his having murdered the Australians.

The families were advised by the ADF in August after the release of Hekmatullah understood to now be back in Afghanistan.

Mr Poate said it was a disappointing but not unexpected event and compounded the failures of

Australia’s 20-year war in the Middle East country.

Hugh Poate says his son’s killer “confessed in the highest court in Afghanistan to very proudly having done what he did”. Picture: Gary Ramage

“You have to be pragmatic, it was only going to be a matter of time before he was going to be released because he was a high-value insurgent and had be taken to Doha (Qatar capital) as part of that peace process,” he said.

“He (Hekmatullah) confessed in the highest court in Afghanistan to very proudly having done what he did, no evidence was needed, he pleaded guilty proudly and was sentenced to death but that was not carried out, it was never going to be carried out.

“He was a coward who killed three Australian or infidels as he referred to them.

“It is disappointing but the whole incident was disappointing when you look at how the whole thing started.”

He said the failure that saw the trio murdered, as they sat in the base playing cards during down time, stemmed from the ADF chain of command ignoring mandated orders to upgrade force protection procedures as a result of the escalation of insider attacks.

Private Robert Poate was one of three soldiers murdered. Picture Australian Defence Force

Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic lost his life. Picture: ADF

James Thomas Martin, 21, was shot and killed in the attack.

Queensland deputy coroner John Lock identified a number of failings in orders not being actioned be senior commanders.

“One thing builds on the other and it’s certainly been distressing for us losing our boys and the manner in which it happened, the incompetence of senior Defence officers and the lack of transparency, lack of accountability, the whole thing,” Mr Poate said.

Hekmatullah, the Afghan soldier who murdered three Australian soldiers. Picture courtesy of Four Corners

“This is all very distressing, you wonder why we were there for 20 years fighting what was clearly an unwinnable war, people at the lowest level of command knew that, Robert knew that before he went ….

“There is nothing we can do to bring Robert back to life but it would be nice to think lessons have been learnt … But the loss of the 41 lives (ADF troops) over there and at least 500 back here through suicide has achieved nothing and I think the Taliban who lead the country now are far more militant than the Taliban who were leading the country in 2001.”

He said it appeared some nations were now looking for a war with China that would also be unwinnable and said he hoped the government would think twice before the United States asked them to join them in conflict.

“Or at least ask ‘why?’ instead of ‘how high’ he said.

Originally published as Family of slain Digger hope lessons learnt from son’s murder