Posted on 03/23/2003 4:32:28 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
Australia's elite Special Air Service (SAS) troops called in an airstrike to destroy an Iraqi platoon, Defence Minister Robert Hill said.
"They came across what was interpreted as a platoon of Iraqi military with a number of vehicles," Senator Hill told ABC radio.
"And that was taken out with the assistance of an air strike."
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has revealed the 150 SAS troops deployed in the Persian Gulf have killed an undisclosed number of Iraqi soldiers in several skirmishes.
The ADF said on Sunday a SAS unit, usually comprising five or six men, directed an air strike against what appeared to be a ballistic missile site.
Senator Hill said the SAS units had little rest.
"They're on a constant reconnaissance mission; their task is to find targets such as ballistic missile sites," he said.
"They either destroyed them themselves or call in air support.
"They don't seem to get a lot of rest, the special forces - it's extraordinary how they do it."
He would not comment on reports that the Australian SAS troops were in or near Baghdad.
He said there had been no Australian military casualties and no Australian had been taken prisoner.
The RAAF FA/18 Hornets and the navy frigate HMAS Anzac had also remained active in fighting.
"Australian forces are continuing to make a significant contribution since this time yesterday," Senator Hill told the Nine Network.
"Our FA/18 fighters have been conducting air strikes, bombing from the air.
"Our ship ANZAC has continued to provide artillery support which has been very much appreciated by the British marines that they've been supporting."
Senator Hill said the best predictions remained that the war would be relatively short.
"The campaign overall, according to the military leadership, is going well," he said.
"If anything, it's a little ahead of time.
"You've got to appreciate that the advance has been rapid; they're almost on the outskirts of Baghdad now and it's only been going a few days."
Senator Hill said he was not concerned of how Iraqi images of American prisoners of war and bodies would affect public opinion in Australia.
"Not from a public opinion point of view; it's a horrible thing to witness, it's contrary to the Geneva Convention and it's a further illustration of the way in which this regime operates," he said.
"But I think that the public understands that wars always are unpleasant and this is just another aspect of that.
"Our objective is to ensure the battle is won as quickly as possible... that there is a minimum of civilian casualties and we can get our forces home safely.
"A regime that will bomb its own people with chemical weapons is hardly likely to respect the Geneva Convention."
While the whereabouts of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein were unknown, Senator Hill said regime change had not yet happened.
We'd be well advised to keep this in mind. And make the appropriate "adjustments".
D@mn proud of you. One of the few remaining countries I think I will visit someday soon (plus England, Spain, etc.).
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