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Australian forces at frontlines
CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Australia's military forces have been at the "leading edge" of coalition military operations against Iraq, defense officials say. Special Forces on reconnaissance missions on the ground have been calling in airstrikes, Australian warships have been providing gunfire support to British forces and clearing mines, while Australian F/A-18 Hornet jets have been attacking Iraqi targets, defense minister Robert Hill told parliament Monday. All of Australia's 2,000-strong military contingent to the Gulf under Operation Falconer were "safe and well," Hill said, adding the troops "continue to play a vital part" in the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq. The commander of Australian forces in the Middle East said his troops had destroyed Iraqi positions near the southeastern port city of Umm Qasr and have engaged enemy forces in other locations, killing Iraqi soldiers and destroying military equipment. "Australia's contribution to the coalition ... is designed to be potent, effective and leading edge," Brig. Gen. Maurie McNarn said. "The operation is going well, however it is early days and we take nothing for granted, nor do we underestimate the enemy," McNarn said. Australian Special Forces were operating deep inside Iraq, McNarn said, and included a squadron from the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, commandos, helicopters and an incident response team. SAS troops called in an airstrike to destroy an Iraqi platoon overnight, Hill told Australian media Monday. "They came across what was interpreted as a platoon of Iraqi military with a number of vehicles. And that was taken out with the assistance of an airstrike," Hill told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. Australia has deployed 150 SAS troops and Hill said the SAS units -- usually of five to six men each -- have had little rest. "They're on a constant reconnaissance mission; their task is to find targets such as ballistic missile sites. They either destroy them themselves or call in air support," Hill said. On the Aw Faw Peninsular in southern Iraq, HMAS ANZAC had been providing naval gunfire support for British forces since Friday.
Iraqi bunkers, artillery positions and coastal defensive positions were targeted, Hill said. The suppression of Iraqi forces earned praise from British commanders, he added. In other maritime operations, the Australian navy was working with the United States to clear the port of Umm Qasr in preparation for humanitarian aid shipments. "An Australian Navy clearance diving team is now working with United States forces tasked with locating mines, rendering safe and disposing of mines and explosives and booby traps in the port of Umm Qasr," McNarn said. "The aim is to quickly open the port for the delivery of international humanitarian aid." Meanwhile, Australian fighter-bombers dropped a number of laser-guided 2000-pound bombs on Iraqi positions overnight. Australia has deployed a squadron of F/A-18s that have been active since the start of the war, making strikes on Iraqi targets. Meanwhile defense officials have sought to play down media reports that Australian pilots acted exceptionally by aborting a mission Sunday. The mission was called off at the last minute because of fears it could risk civilian casualties. But the event was "unexceptional," defense spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan told a media briefing in Canberra Monday. "Any coalition pilot would make the same decision in any case where there is insufficient information or support available to positively identify and hit a target," Hannan said.
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