grendel
09-12-2003, 10:14 AM
Here's one of those articles again... :oops:
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen30sas54.jpg
Covert troops clear winners after Iraq's dust clears
The West Australian (http://www.thewest.com.au/20030830/features/tw-features-home-sto110751-pic20957.html)
By Tony Barrass
UNDER the cover of darkness and half a world away, six hours before Prime Minister John Howard told the nation that Australia was at war, crack Special Air Service Regiment troops from WA's Swanbourne Barracks had already been involved in several firefights with well-drilled, heavily armed and highly mobile Iraqi forces.
And by the time the sun had risen across Iraq's Western Desert, roaming SAS patrols were both closer to Baghdad and deeper inside the country than any other coalition forces.
Having roared into Iraq at speed in their six-wheeled, long-range patrol vehicles from a neighbouring but undisclosed country, it was only two hours before the squadron engaged an aggressive, heavily armed enemy, believed to be members of the Iraqi secret intelligence.
The SAS, most of them fresh from chasing remnants of the Taliban through the Hindu Kush and down into southern Afghanistan, had been back in the Middle East for four weeks to acclimatise and prepare for Operation Falconer.
Their mission was one of the most important of the Iraqi campaign - to deny the enemy the use of weapons of mass destruction and theatre ballistic missiles. If any WMD were to be launched into neighbouring states, it would be from this pale, dusty billiard table.
Intelligence reports also suggested that the Western Desert, a flat, lunar-type landscape sparsely populated with the nomadic Bedouin, goat herders, truck drivers, small towns and settlements, was also heavy with enemy; an Iraqi mechanised infantry brigade and a commando brigade of three battalions.
The SAS wanted to disproportionately create as much chaos as possible to make sure they were totally unpredictable in the eyes of their enemy, who it was hoped would panic and unmask their capabilities. Hit them hard and send a strong message that they were superior in all facets of warfare.
"Iraq had a counter special operation forces group specifically tasked with hunting down special forces from America, the UK and Australia," said Paul, a veteran of Afghanistan and one of the 100 or so Australians who raced into Iraq.
"These guys were operating in SUV (Sports Utility Vehicles) with heavy machineguns mounted on the rear. Some times they would operate in groups of two vehicles, some times in groups of 10. There were always eight to 10 men, or dismounts, in the back and the vehicles were often white or camouflaged with mud."
Before the sun had risen on day one, the Australians, by this stage split into three groups with various tasks and in constant contact with each other, were in heavy combat.
"The enemy was very well trained and organised. As soon as they positively ID'd us, they went straight into the assault using light machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades. They were very similar to us; older, more resolute than the average Iraqi soldier, very hard-minded."
The Australians knew they were dealing with a considerable force when several Iraqis returned into the line of fire to retrieve fallen comrades. But it soon became clear that while the Iraqis may have had the will to fight, the coalition's high-tech weaponry, air superiority, sophisticated tracking systems, smarter, more reliable communications and better training would eventually overcome most obstacles.
That initial firefight lasted more than two hours and for their next three days, they encountered heavy fighting on a regular basis. In the 42 days they were in Iraq, they said they did not once engage unless they were fired on.
"If they wanted to fight, they were neutralised or destroyed. If they surrendered or were captured, we'd question them, gather as much intelligence as possible, take their weapons, then send them on their way," one said.
The heaviest fighting erupted around one facility which the Australians thought may have hidden WMD. Catching the enemy by surprise, the unit itself then came under attack from eight Iraqi "dismounts" who jumped from the back of an approaching SUV and came towards them firing light machineguns.
The SAS flanked out in an assault formation and though heavily outnumbered, decided to take them on, at which point another Iraqi SUV arrived to back up the first. Ten or so enemy jumped off the back of the ute and the firefight was on in earnest. But again, the telling factor was capability.
The Javelin, an anti-tank missile system fired from the shoulder and known as a "fire and forget" weapon because it locks into a target, was then unleashed, not for the last time in Iraq.
"Both sides stopped fighting when we fired the Javelin," recalled Quentin. "We all just watched it take off. It's pretty impressive." The missile went up then down then thumped into one of the Iraqi pick-ups, blowing it to smithereens. It was fired a second time, despatching the other SUV.
By this stage a third Iraqi SUV arrived and its occupants attempted to outflank the Australians. Some of the enemy were in civilian dress, others in military uniform. Some were surrendering, others, behind them, firing. Some even came at them with white flags taped to the end of their weapons signalling that they were ready to surrender. They fired instead.
Others put their hands in the air but as soon as the Australians moved towards them they would lower them, lift their weapons and start firing. An hour or so later, the SAS had captured the installation. One trooper, on his return to Australia, was awarded the Medal of Gallantry for facing enemy fire from the exposed mounting of his patrol vehicle during the battle.
Indeed, the SAS claim that their rules of engagement during numerous battles put them at considerable risk. To positively ID the enemy was extremely difficult because most were wearing civilian clothes, traditional Arab dress. To decipher friend or foe was almost impossible. This gave the enemy a considerable advantage during engagement.
The Australians also patrolled the six-lane freeway to Jordan and once intercepted a big number of Syrian men - all of fighting age - in a Baghdad-bound bus. The vehicle was turned around and the information relayed back to command headquarters. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld then publicly warned Syria of dire consequences if it was found to be helping the crumbling Iraqi regime.
It wasn't just force that was used, but something equally effective - brains. Around Day 20, in an attempt to clear a suspect cement factory, the soldiers told those inside to come out with their hands up and sit on the ground at the front gate. Somewhat reluctant, the Iraqis quickly changed their collective mind after a US F14 Tomcat flew low over the complex and broke the sound barrier. The sonic boom persuaded them to think again.
But their best catch by far was the Al Asad air base, a massive facility, 14km x 7km in area, which they took with little resistance. By this stage of the campaign, coalition forces were well in control and Iraqi forces were deserting in droves. Apart from a minor scrap with an angry Iraqi armed with an anti-aircraft gun and a couple of looters, the base was theirs for the taking.
They seized numerous weaponry, 57 MiG aircraft and 7.9 million kilos of explosives. Not a bad cache in anyone's language. But the airstrip had been bombed by US and coalition forces at the start of the war and needed to be repaired.
With typical Australian ingenuity, the SAS soldiers returned to the cement factory about three hours away and hot-wired several bulldozers which they drove back to Al Asad. They repaired the airstrip within days and the first aircraft to land there was one of their own, a C130 Hercules with fresh supplies.
The weather swung between appalling and atrocious, exactly what they expected. During the constant sandstorms, where visibility dropped to metres, special optical systems allowed the soldiers to punch through the dust and maintain their hunt for WMD.
Sometimes it literally rained mud, other times a 40-knot wind would bounce off them. At minus five, the wind chill factor in their vehicles while driving at 120kmh across desert was considerable. Less than one month later, the soldiers were experiencing temperatures of 43C during the day.
Being behind enemy lines, the soldiers had to be entirely self-reliant and trust each other implicitly. If one was shot or badly injured, their mates had the ability to maintain vital signs and keep airways open until he was evacuated, which could have been up to five hours later. Thankfully, the SAS did not sustain any casualties and it is SAS policy not to disclose enemy death tolls.
While the Australian, UK and US governments still claim there was considerable evidence that Iraq had biological and chemical weapons at its disposal, the SAS did not find any. Although they found gasmasks laid out near bunks at the captured Al Asad air base, "that was enough to make us think", said one soldier.
"It's not a smoking gun but it's an indication that the Iraqis were capable of using them," another said.
August 30, 2003
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen30sas54.jpg
Covert troops clear winners after Iraq's dust clears
The West Australian (http://www.thewest.com.au/20030830/features/tw-features-home-sto110751-pic20957.html)
By Tony Barrass
UNDER the cover of darkness and half a world away, six hours before Prime Minister John Howard told the nation that Australia was at war, crack Special Air Service Regiment troops from WA's Swanbourne Barracks had already been involved in several firefights with well-drilled, heavily armed and highly mobile Iraqi forces.
And by the time the sun had risen across Iraq's Western Desert, roaming SAS patrols were both closer to Baghdad and deeper inside the country than any other coalition forces.
Having roared into Iraq at speed in their six-wheeled, long-range patrol vehicles from a neighbouring but undisclosed country, it was only two hours before the squadron engaged an aggressive, heavily armed enemy, believed to be members of the Iraqi secret intelligence.
The SAS, most of them fresh from chasing remnants of the Taliban through the Hindu Kush and down into southern Afghanistan, had been back in the Middle East for four weeks to acclimatise and prepare for Operation Falconer.
Their mission was one of the most important of the Iraqi campaign - to deny the enemy the use of weapons of mass destruction and theatre ballistic missiles. If any WMD were to be launched into neighbouring states, it would be from this pale, dusty billiard table.
Intelligence reports also suggested that the Western Desert, a flat, lunar-type landscape sparsely populated with the nomadic Bedouin, goat herders, truck drivers, small towns and settlements, was also heavy with enemy; an Iraqi mechanised infantry brigade and a commando brigade of three battalions.
The SAS wanted to disproportionately create as much chaos as possible to make sure they were totally unpredictable in the eyes of their enemy, who it was hoped would panic and unmask their capabilities. Hit them hard and send a strong message that they were superior in all facets of warfare.
"Iraq had a counter special operation forces group specifically tasked with hunting down special forces from America, the UK and Australia," said Paul, a veteran of Afghanistan and one of the 100 or so Australians who raced into Iraq.
"These guys were operating in SUV (Sports Utility Vehicles) with heavy machineguns mounted on the rear. Some times they would operate in groups of two vehicles, some times in groups of 10. There were always eight to 10 men, or dismounts, in the back and the vehicles were often white or camouflaged with mud."
Before the sun had risen on day one, the Australians, by this stage split into three groups with various tasks and in constant contact with each other, were in heavy combat.
"The enemy was very well trained and organised. As soon as they positively ID'd us, they went straight into the assault using light machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades. They were very similar to us; older, more resolute than the average Iraqi soldier, very hard-minded."
The Australians knew they were dealing with a considerable force when several Iraqis returned into the line of fire to retrieve fallen comrades. But it soon became clear that while the Iraqis may have had the will to fight, the coalition's high-tech weaponry, air superiority, sophisticated tracking systems, smarter, more reliable communications and better training would eventually overcome most obstacles.
That initial firefight lasted more than two hours and for their next three days, they encountered heavy fighting on a regular basis. In the 42 days they were in Iraq, they said they did not once engage unless they were fired on.
"If they wanted to fight, they were neutralised or destroyed. If they surrendered or were captured, we'd question them, gather as much intelligence as possible, take their weapons, then send them on their way," one said.
The heaviest fighting erupted around one facility which the Australians thought may have hidden WMD. Catching the enemy by surprise, the unit itself then came under attack from eight Iraqi "dismounts" who jumped from the back of an approaching SUV and came towards them firing light machineguns.
The SAS flanked out in an assault formation and though heavily outnumbered, decided to take them on, at which point another Iraqi SUV arrived to back up the first. Ten or so enemy jumped off the back of the ute and the firefight was on in earnest. But again, the telling factor was capability.
The Javelin, an anti-tank missile system fired from the shoulder and known as a "fire and forget" weapon because it locks into a target, was then unleashed, not for the last time in Iraq.
"Both sides stopped fighting when we fired the Javelin," recalled Quentin. "We all just watched it take off. It's pretty impressive." The missile went up then down then thumped into one of the Iraqi pick-ups, blowing it to smithereens. It was fired a second time, despatching the other SUV.
By this stage a third Iraqi SUV arrived and its occupants attempted to outflank the Australians. Some of the enemy were in civilian dress, others in military uniform. Some were surrendering, others, behind them, firing. Some even came at them with white flags taped to the end of their weapons signalling that they were ready to surrender. They fired instead.
Others put their hands in the air but as soon as the Australians moved towards them they would lower them, lift their weapons and start firing. An hour or so later, the SAS had captured the installation. One trooper, on his return to Australia, was awarded the Medal of Gallantry for facing enemy fire from the exposed mounting of his patrol vehicle during the battle.
Indeed, the SAS claim that their rules of engagement during numerous battles put them at considerable risk. To positively ID the enemy was extremely difficult because most were wearing civilian clothes, traditional Arab dress. To decipher friend or foe was almost impossible. This gave the enemy a considerable advantage during engagement.
The Australians also patrolled the six-lane freeway to Jordan and once intercepted a big number of Syrian men - all of fighting age - in a Baghdad-bound bus. The vehicle was turned around and the information relayed back to command headquarters. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld then publicly warned Syria of dire consequences if it was found to be helping the crumbling Iraqi regime.
It wasn't just force that was used, but something equally effective - brains. Around Day 20, in an attempt to clear a suspect cement factory, the soldiers told those inside to come out with their hands up and sit on the ground at the front gate. Somewhat reluctant, the Iraqis quickly changed their collective mind after a US F14 Tomcat flew low over the complex and broke the sound barrier. The sonic boom persuaded them to think again.
But their best catch by far was the Al Asad air base, a massive facility, 14km x 7km in area, which they took with little resistance. By this stage of the campaign, coalition forces were well in control and Iraqi forces were deserting in droves. Apart from a minor scrap with an angry Iraqi armed with an anti-aircraft gun and a couple of looters, the base was theirs for the taking.
They seized numerous weaponry, 57 MiG aircraft and 7.9 million kilos of explosives. Not a bad cache in anyone's language. But the airstrip had been bombed by US and coalition forces at the start of the war and needed to be repaired.
With typical Australian ingenuity, the SAS soldiers returned to the cement factory about three hours away and hot-wired several bulldozers which they drove back to Al Asad. They repaired the airstrip within days and the first aircraft to land there was one of their own, a C130 Hercules with fresh supplies.
The weather swung between appalling and atrocious, exactly what they expected. During the constant sandstorms, where visibility dropped to metres, special optical systems allowed the soldiers to punch through the dust and maintain their hunt for WMD.
Sometimes it literally rained mud, other times a 40-knot wind would bounce off them. At minus five, the wind chill factor in their vehicles while driving at 120kmh across desert was considerable. Less than one month later, the soldiers were experiencing temperatures of 43C during the day.
Being behind enemy lines, the soldiers had to be entirely self-reliant and trust each other implicitly. If one was shot or badly injured, their mates had the ability to maintain vital signs and keep airways open until he was evacuated, which could have been up to five hours later. Thankfully, the SAS did not sustain any casualties and it is SAS policy not to disclose enemy death tolls.
While the Australian, UK and US governments still claim there was considerable evidence that Iraq had biological and chemical weapons at its disposal, the SAS did not find any. Although they found gasmasks laid out near bunks at the captured Al Asad air base, "that was enough to make us think", said one soldier.
"It's not a smoking gun but it's an indication that the Iraqis were capable of using them," another said.
August 30, 2003