Pauline Hanson returns home after secret Afghanistan trip

Pauline Hanson is known for her outspoken views, but she’s remained very silent on her latest venture: eight days in Afghanistan with Australian troops.

The One Nation leader revealed details of her surprise trip to the war-torn Middle East country in a video published to her Facebook page on Thursday morning. Speaking about her time with the Aussie soldiers, Hanson said she made the covert journey to experience first-hand the kinds of conditions troops are living in. 

Despite calls from the public for Australia to pull out of the Middle East operation, Hanson said it’s “imperative” for Aussie troops to stay put – or risk the Taliban “coming back in”.

Appearing on camera in full army gear, she said: “I wanted to experience what our Aussie soldiers go through in the war zone, it’s very important to me. We’re making decisions on the floor of Parliament, I wanted to experience that, to know what they go through. What I’ve been dealing with is that a lot of soldiers come back with PTSD, I want to know their experiences, I wanted first-hand to talk to them. Don’t worry, I’ve got a lot to say over the next few weeks.”

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She added in her caption: “While the Government of the day have the unilateral power to send our troops to war, all elected Members of Parliament have a responsibility to know what we’re sending our soldiers into,” before adding: “If you’re not prepared to go there yourself, why in God’s name would you send others?”

Hanson was joined on the trip by her NSW One Nation Senate colleague Brian Burston and Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching.

Speaking to The Australian before her flight home, Hanson insisted Australian must maintain its presence in the region “for the long haul” or risk years of work coming undone.

“I can see that we’re going to be here for the long haul. It’s very necessary that we do,” she said. “You can see the changes that are happening in the country. One soldier came up to me and said ‘Can you please tell the media and the people that we want to be here. This is the highlight of our careers. We’ve trained for this’.”

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She warned that if the troops are pulled back now, the “tentacles” of ISIS would spread across the world.

According to the Courier Mail, Hanson had three weeks of intensive training before her trip abroad. Currently, around 300 ADF members remain in the country as part of an ongoing mission to train local forces.

Do you think it’s necessary for politicians to experience life in a war zone first-hand? Do you think Aussie troops should stay in the Middle East?