Posted on 01/11/2009 2:51:07 PM PST by Dundee
AUSTRALIAN special forces in Afghanistan have avenged the death of commando Gregory Sher by killing the Taliban leader who orchestrated the fatal rocket attack of a week ago.
As Private Sher was buried in Melbourne yesterday at a service attended by Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, Defence chief Angus Houston was in Afghanistan to console and congratulate the troops that moved against Taliban insurgents last week.
"It is quite clear you made them pay for the death of a comrade," Air Chief Marshal Houston told the special forces soldiers at their Tarin Kowt base in southern Afghanistan...
Houston confirmed one of those killed in the operation was prominent Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Rasheed. "They actually got the leader who we think orchestrated all of this," he said. "They went into an area (where) this guy was the leader. They got him."
Private Sher, 30, was killed on January 4 when a rocket struck a remote patrol base in Oruzgan province. He was the eighth Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan and the first reservist.
His funeral took place at the Chevra Kadisha Cemetery in Lyndhurst...
Australian special forces have killed or captured more than a dozen Taliban leaders in the past six months...
"Last year, the violent incidents went up right across Afghanistan. The only province where there was a reduction in violent incidents was in Oruzgan. We were against the trend,"...
[Commander of Australian forces in the Middle East Major General Mike Hindmarsh] said most of the top leaders had fled to Pakistan.
"They know it is just too dangerous to operate in that part of the world," he said.
"Our aim is to keep whacking them and disabuse them of the notion that they can exist there at all."
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
Good work, guys. God bless you.
Good show!
Excellent job diggers!
Good for you Aussies!!!!
God Bless The Aussies.
Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!!
Good job mates. God Bless Australia.
The Aussies are awesome troops.
you beat me to it!
Aussie! Oi!
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