Intelligence

Australian SAS seize top fugitives

Telegraph | News | Australian SAS seize top fugitives

By Neil Tweedie in Qatar and Ben Rooney, Defence Staff
(Filed: 17/04/2003)

Australian SAS troops have captured up to 60 Ba'ath Party leaders and Fedayeen fighters as they attempted to flee into neighbouring Syria.
The captures in north-western Iraq this week underline the unsung role that Australia has played in the war against Saddam.

Key among the 2,000-strong Australian contingent is a squadron of about 150 Australian SAS, highly respected in the special forces world. They worked closely with British and American counterparts and were involved in the seizure of air bases in western Iraq.

A military spokesman said the Australians, like the British, preferred to operate in "grey", not worrying about a share of the limelight.

"Our forces have been praised as first rate and the British in particular don't say that if they don't mean it," he said. No Australian servicemen died in combat, despite the SAS task group's involvement in more than a dozen exchanges of fire.

The group, which was given its own zone of operations in the north and west of Iraq, was also given the task of monitoring routes for signs of movement by the regime's leadership.

Australia also contributed three navy ships, Anzac, Darwin and Kinimbla, and a squadron of FA18 Hornets which were used in attack missions over Iraq. Australian navy divers were used to find and destroy mines in the port city of Umm Qasr.

The White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, gave high praise for their contribution. "Australia has stood as a strong ally and close friend," he said.

The other country to send forces was Poland. Its 200 troops, including combat medics and some 50 members of the elite special forces unit GROM, took part in the seizure of the port of Umm Qasr and searches of ships in the Gulf.

April 17, 2003 at 08:03 PM in SAS | Permalink | TrackBack (92) | Top of page | Blog Home