Carmela Baranowska is an independent filmmaker based in Melbourne. Her documentary, Taliban Country, won a Walkley in the short documentary category. She was incorrectly reported missing while in Afghanistan but the source for this incorrect information has never been found.
SBS Dateline screened the program in a shortened version but last night I finally watched the disturbing 45-minute version, after being given the original on DVD by Carmela last month. The film documents allegations of abuse by US Marines in some of the most remote areas of Afghanistan. The US military has supposedly investigated the claims and unsurprisingly concluded that the charges are without basis.
A blog run by an American friend of Carmela’s is “dedicated to providing an on-going record of US military interrogation and detention policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Take a look around as much of the information rarely gets an airing in Australia.