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SAS betters Al-Qaeda forces
March 15 2002
Australian soldiers have killed at least 10 al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the war on terror, a defence spokesman said today.
Brigadier Paul Retter said Australia's SAS troops had been engaged in a series of firefights with retreating enemy forces as part of Operation Anaconda.
He said no Australian troops had been killed or injured.
"We have by all reports killed a number of enemy forces without sustaining any casualties," he told reporters.
А вдове погибшего PM лично выразил соболезнования, но это конечно не в счет, "кругом враги", врут как привыкли.
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PM warns of casualties as military steps up Afghan ops
CANBERRA, March 12 AAP|Published: Tuesday March 12, 7:27 PM
Prime Minister John Howard today warned of more possible casualties as US President George W Bush praised Australia's support for the war on terror.
In a ceremony marking the six-month anniversary of the September 11 terror strikes, President Bush talked of the special bond between Australia and his country.
He also paid tribute to Australia's only casualty of the Afghan campaign so far, 33-year old SAS sergeant Andrew Russell, who was killed in Afghanistan last month when his vehicle struck a land mine.
"He left behind his wife Kylie and their daughter Leisa, just 11 days-old," President Bush said. "This young man and many like him have not let us down."
President Bush used Australia's commitment and sacrifice as an example to others of what was expected as the ADF prepared to step up operations in and around Afghanistan.
With SAS troops already operating against al-Qaeda rebels in the mountainous Shahi valley, defence authorities revealed an Australian air force officer was directing air strikes from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.
Defence spokesman Brigadier Paul Retter said the RAAF officer was based at Manas air base, from where US aircraft operate in support of coalition troops battling Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.
As the government unveiled an agreement with the Kyrgyz government clearing the way for more Australian forces, the defence department refused to confirm the pending departure of two Boeing 707 air-to-air refuelling tankers.
But Defence Minister Robert Hill said the tankers, which Mr Howard promised to the coalition last year, would deploy soon.
"The government is expecting to deploy two B707 air-to-air refuelling aircraft also to the zone in the near future," he told the Senate.
Four FA-18 fighter jets are already patrolling the US resupply base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, but the 707s remain on standby at their base at Richmond, outside Sydney.
Brigadier Retter said Australian SAS forces in south-east Afghanistan were continuing their involvement in Operation Anaconda, but were not replacing US mountain troops rotating out of the battlefield.
Mr Howard said he could not rule out being asked to contribute troops to a wider campaign beyond Afghanistan.
"If any such request was forthcoming, then it would be looked at on its own merits at the time," a spokesman quoted Mr Howard as telling a meeting of coalition MPs and senators.
He said the action in Afghanistan could lead to more casualties.
"There could be other lives lost - we're involved in a real military action," he was quoted as saying.
Mr Howard had also spoken to Sgt Russell's widow Kylie to express condolences.
The government, meanwhile, introduced new laws to combat terrorism, making it an official crime punishable by life imprisonment.
The bills also include amendments to treason laws, and put in place a convention against terrorist financing and terror bombings.
But Attorney-General Daryl Williams said the government was still considering controversial laws enhancing ASIO's interrogation powers.