Australia in Afghanistan

• Starting points:
• Australia in Afghanistan: Quick guide
• Coalition policy in Afghanistan
• War in Afghanistan: State of play
• ADF - enemy engagements

• Detailed site map

Australian military forces were committed to coalition military operations against the Taliban government of Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of what became Operation Enduring Freedom. Australian Defence Force activities in Afghanistan since that date have been known as Operation Slipper, "an important component of the Australian Government's commitment to working together with the international community to help prevent acts of terrorism around the world." As of September 2008, there were 1,080 ADF personnel serving in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Those numbers are likely to increase with the government's commitment to training Afghan National Army forces.

In July 2007 these forces were principally made up of:

• a National Command Element in Kabul;
• a Liaison group at ISAF headquarters;
  
• Reconstruction Task Force based in Tarin Kowt, Oruzgan Province as part of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Provincial Reconstruction Team;
• a Special Operations Task Group deployed to Oruzgan province as part of ISAF operations against insurgents;
• an RAAF air surveillance radar capability deployed at Kandahar Air Field;
  
• a Chinook helicopter group based at Kandahar in Helmand province in support of ISAF operations;
• a small artillery contingent deployed with British forces in Helmand province;
• an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Detachment
• Force Level Logistic Asset
  

There are also Australian Federal Police operations in Afghanistan, and an Australian Secret Intelligence Service station.

Project coordinator: Richard Tanter
Additional research: Arabella Imhoff
12 September 2008