CANBERRA, Australia, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Some Australian troops are being subjected to training that would be considered torture if carried out on prisoners.
The Australian reports the ordeal can include being forced to strip naked and remain without clothes for up to three hours, being threatened by dogs and being blindfolded.
Defense Minister Robert Hill said this routine is used during advanced training in resistance to interrogation.
"Trainees may be requested to strip naked for the purpose of searching," Hill said. "Nudity only occurs in advanced practical RTI training. Participants in basic practical training are only stripped to their underwear."
The Australian military plans to upgrade its training manuals for the first time since 2001 to take into account situations its forces might encounter in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hill said enemies there were unlikely to follow the Geneva Convention in questioning prisoners.
At least some of those undergoing the advanced RTI training appear to be civilians who are being posted to Iraq.
