Australian ‘special forces gathering intelligence in Africa’

“They have all the espionage skills but without (Australian Secret
Intelligence Service’s) legal cover,” said one government source.

According to the newspaper, ASIS officers are permitted under Australian law
to carry false passports and, if arrested, to deny who they are employed by.

Defence Force members, such as the SAS, on normal operations cannot carry
false identification and cannot deny which government they work for.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith refused to confirm the group’s existence “because
we don’t want to put at risk either operations or our national security”.

But he insisted that all Australian operatives overseas did their job within
the law and had proper protection.

“People would expect from time to time the SAS, ASIS, and department of
foreign affairs and trade are involved in making sure Australians
overseas are not at risk,” he told Sky News.

“Whenever we have our people in the field they have the proper and
appropriate protections.

“Whether someone is working for ASIS or someone is operating for or with
the SAS, we ensure they operate in accordance with domestic and
international law and that they have appropriate and proper protection.”

Source: agencies

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