Australia is doing their bit

Sailor

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25th April 2009

AUSTRALIAN soldiers have killed more than 100 Taliban fighters and disrupted vast enemy networks in two of the biggest and most successful operations of the six-year Afghanistan campaign.

Details of the offensive were revealed during a visit to Afghanistan for Anzac Day by Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon who was accompanied by News Limited .

Operation Aabitoorah or Blue Sword began on March 19 in the northern Helmand province, south of the Australian base in Oruzgan Province and involved Dutch, British, American, Australian and Afghani forces.

The second, called Operation Shak Hawel or Mysterious Area, was fought by troops from the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force between April 3 and 15 around Patrol Base Buman in the Chora Valley north of Tarin Kowt.

More than 200 Diggers led by Darwin based Lieutenant Colonel Shane Gabriel took part with an Afghan National Army battalion.

During the biggest battle on April 12 dozens of Taliban fighters perished as they attempted to defeat the diggers from Combat Team Tusk in the fertile green belt.

"They tried to stop us doing what we wanted to do and they came off second best,'' Lt Colonel Gabriel told News Limited.

Troops from the task force have been engaged in numerous heavy fire fights during offensive patrols to mentor and instruct their Afghan comrades.

Mr Fitzgibbon received full details of the operations and spoke to the troops during a secret two-day tour of Australian bases in the lead up to Anzac Day at Tarin Kowt where Vietnam war hero and Victoria Cross holder Keith Payne was the guest of honour.

Australian commander Major General Mark Kelly said Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) troops from the Perth based SAS Regiment and Sydney based Commando Regiment operated deep inside a Taliban stronghold for 26 days during "Blue Sword".

The specialist Diggers were attacked by roadside bombs, rocket propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire and despite the intensity of the action just one Australian, Sydney based bomb disposal expert Sergeant Brett Till, was killed and four others wounded including one who lost his legs.

In addition to the number of enemy casualties, including bomb maker and leader Mullah Abdul Bari, the Australians uncovered numerous weapons caches and up to 14 improvised explosive devices in a day.

Commander of Regional Command South Dutch Major-General Mart de Kraif said the operation had disrupted insurgent activities.

He said Australian special-forces troops had applied massive pressure to the insurgent leadership.
 

SATISH

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May the soldiers who fought against Taliban and for the betterment of the world lie and rest in peace...Amen..
 

Sailor

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Right on Satish. This is the greatest evil the world has ever known. Even worse than Hitler and Stalin. It must be defeated or civilized mankind will fall.
 

fateh71

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Right on Satish. This is the greatest evil the world has ever known. Even worse than Hitler and Stalin. It must be defeated or civilized mankind will fall.
You said it mate. Salute to the the fallen Anzacs on this day.
 

Su-47

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Right on Satish. This is the greatest evil the world has ever known. Even worse than Hitler and Stalin. It must be defeated or civilized mankind will fall.
I actually agree with you. Hitler and Stalin seem more terrible since they wielded more power, but at least they were a little more human. if you see what the taliban stand for, the enslavement of women, beheading, stoning and decapitations, it is hard to believe that they are even of the same species as the rest of us.

I think the Taliban are a valid argument point for those who wish to disprove the theory of evolution.
 

Vinod2070

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Right on Satish. This is the greatest evil the world has ever known. Even worse than Hitler and Stalin. It must be defeated or civilized mankind will fall.
Well mate, the Taliban are scum but I think to keep perspective is important.

The two monsters you mentioned killed hundreds of millions and destroyed whole countries.

The Taliban scum though every bit as murderous just has not achieved the monstrous power that these guys did and used.
 

Su-47

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Well mate, the Taliban are scum but I think to keep perspective is important.

The two monsters you mentioned killed hundreds of millions and destroyed whole countries.

The Taliban scum though every bit as murderous just has not achieved the monstrous power that these guys did and used.
The taliban havent done that coz they don't have the power to do that. That doesn't mean they are any less evil. It just means the rest of the world is lucky. Lack of opportunity cannot be used as a valid argument against their vileness.

Hitler and Stalin didn't kill hundreds of millions. Hitler's World War killed 55 million, of which a lot were killed by the Japs. Stalin's purges killed around 2 million.
 

Sailor

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Yes Su_47, they have yet lacked the opportunity. Put the Taliban in charge of all Europe and Russia for a few years and then compare what they did Vinrod.

Hitler, Stalin and the Japs didn't go to war with their own women.
 

Vinod2070

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I am not denying that they are as monstrous. Just that they are not as powerful.

Their evil is a function of their intentions and capabilities. the former is there, the latter is missing. So far.

The world still has the chance to prevent them from becoming the monsters on the same scale as Hitler.
 

jackprince

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I think Vinod is right. Talibans are evil monsters, but Hitler was equally so. There's no reason to say one is lesser evil.

It's good to hear about Australian soldiers' action. But when will US and India wise up and India takes part in this war? This war is much more of Indian interest than that of US.
 

Vinod2070

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India's participation is hampered by the "Pakistani sensitivities" for whatever they are worth.

Also there is the question of political will in India in the era of coalition governments. I bet in case of NDA government at the center, we could have Indian soldiers in Afghanistan killing the Taliban scum in their homes.
 

Sailor

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I think Vinod is right. Talibans are evil monsters, but Hitler was equally so. There's no reason to say one is lesser evil.

It's good to hear about Australian soldiers' action. But when will US and India wise up and India takes part in this war? This war is much more of Indian interest than that of US.
What about us? What the hell are Australians up there for? It is out of our region and none of our business.

We are there because of the ANZUS alliance and it just happens that our ladies think we should help the Afghan ladies.
 

Vinod2070

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What about us? What the hell are Australians up there for? It is out of our region and none of our business.

We are there because of the ANZUS alliance and it just happens that our ladies think we should help the Afghan ladies.
That's a good cause worth fighting for. You also do have some of these scum in Australia judging by the "open meat" comment of last year regarding the mass rapes of Australian girls by some idiots.

But tell me, how many Australian forces are there in Afghanistan? What does the general public think of the deployments? How many casualties you guys have had in the theater?
 

F-14

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Current Orbat of the ADF in Afghanistan (Op:- Slipper)

As of December 2008

National Command Element
1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF1)
Headquarters, 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (7 RAR)
Infantry company group, 7 RAR
Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment (equipped with ASLAVs)
Engineering Task Group (drawn from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment)
Detachment, 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (operates ScanEagle UAVs)
Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (embedded with an Afghan Army battalion)
Logistics and support units
Special Operations Task Group
Elements of the SASR, 4 RAR and the Incident Response Regiment
Rotary Wing Group (including two CH-47D Chinooks helicopters).
Detachment, 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (16 men attached to the 29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery)
RAAF Control and Reporting Centre (Kandahar International Airport)
Two AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and three C-130 Hercules transports
Personnel embedded with various coalition units
Force Level Logistic Asset (Kandahar International Airport)

Operation Slipper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Operation Slipper is further notable for the first Australian combat deaths since the Vietnam War. [9] Ten Australian soldiers have been killed during operations in Afghanistan, nine since October 2007[10], whilst another died whilst serving with the British Army.[11] As of 6 April 2009, over 65 Australians have been wounded in Afghanistan.[12][13]

Andrew Russell, 33, was an Australian Special Air Service Regiment Sergeant. On 16 February 2002, Russell was travelling through southern Afghanistan with four other Australian soldiers when their patrol vehicle struck a land mine, severely injuring him. He was taken to a US military hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. [14]

David Pearce, 41, was the second Australian fatality in Afghanistan. Pearce, a Trooper from the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, was killed while serving in Orūzgān Province.[15][16] Pearce was driving an ASLAV on 9 October 2007, when an improvised road-side explosive device detonated, killing him and injuring a passenger.[17]

Matthew Locke MG, 33, was an Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) Sergeant. On 25 October 2007, Locke, who was serving a second tour of duty in Afghanistan, was engaged in a firefight with members of the Taliban militia, when he was injured in the chest by small arms fire. Other soldiers in his unit provided first-aid care prior to and during evacuation to a medical facility, where he died a short time later. Like David Pearce, Sergeant Locke was killed while serving in Orūzgān Province, Afghanistan. During his first tour of duty, Locke had been awarded the Medal for Gallantry.[18][9][19]

Luke Worsley, 26, was a Private serving with Special Operations Task Group. He was shot and killed by small arms fire on 23 November 2007 during an attempt to take a heavily defended Taliban position. [20]

Jason Marks, 27, was a Lance Corporal from the Australian 4RAR. He was killed after a intense firefight with Taliban insurgents, when a RPG landed near the patrol vehicle he was taking cover behind whilst reloading his weapon. The attack occurred 25km south of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt in Orūzgān Province. Four other Australian soldiers were wounded in the attack. All five were flown to a nearby US military hospital, where the wounded were expected to fully recover.[21][22]

Sean McCarthy, 25, was a Signaller in the SASR. He, two other SASR soldiers and a soldier from another country were wounded when the vehicle they were travelling in was attacked by a roadside bomb on 8 July 2008 during a patol in Orūzgān Province. Signaller McCarthy died from his wounds after being evacuated to the SOTG's base at Tarin Kowt.[23]. He was on his 2nd tour of duty in Afghanistan. The two other Australians wounded in the attack returned to duty on 11 July.[24]

Michael Fussell, 25, was a Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. As he and his team were conducting a dismounted patrol on 27 November 2008 they were struck by an IED, killing Fussell. Two other soldiers received minor wounds, but returned to duty a few days later.

Gregory Michael Sher, 30, [1] was a Private in the 1st Commando Regiment, Australian Special Operations Command.[25] He was killed in a rocket attack on a forward base in Orūzgān Province on 4 January 2009.[26]

Mathew Hopkins, 21, was a Corporal in the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. He was attacked and fatally injured on 16 March 2009 while on patrol as part of a mentoring and reconstruction taskforce patrol operating with members of the Afghan National Army, near a village 12km north of Tarin Kowt.[27] [28]

Bret Till, 31, was a Sergeant and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician from the Incident Response Regiment. He was killed on 19 March 2009 while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device. [10]
 

Sailor

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Thanks Cat. You saved me a lot of work. Don't think I could have found such an article anyway.
 

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