Troops leave for final Afghanistan mission

A DEPLOYMENT of troops from RAAF base Amberley will be vital to the withdrawal of Australian soldiers from Afghanistan.

FAREWELL PARADE: Australian Defence Force personnel from Force Support Unit 8 line up for a farewell parade at RAAF Base Amberley before leaving for Afghanistan. Picture: David Nielsen

A DEPLOYMENT of troops from RAAF base Amberley will be vital to the withdrawal of Australian soldiers from Afghanistan.

A parade to farewell Force Support Unit 8 (FSU8), made up of air force, army and navy troops from across Australia, was held at the RAAF base yesterday.

Last farewell for Afghanistan

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Two hundred and seventy-eight soldiers were assembled at the base to be farewelled by their families.

Troops from FSU8 will leave for the Middle East from April and some won't return until next February.

Brigadier David Mulhall, who addressed the troops, said they would become a vital part of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He said the diverse range of soldiers in FSU8 made them ideally suited to their role in the Middle East.

"Given the challenges before us for force extraction as we adjust the changes in force posture in Afghanistan, the flexibility, the diversity and your experience base, I believe, sets you up very well for those jobs," he said.

The parade came only a day after the Federal Government announced Australian troops would be withdrawing from Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province.

FSU8's Lieutenant Colonel Natasha Ludwig said the soldiers would be based across Afghanistan and the wider region.

"They'll be based across the Middle East, so a variety of locations across Afghanistan including Tarin Kowt, and also the United Arab Emirates," she said.

"At the moment we're looking at between 260 and 270. The numbers fluctuate because the force will be called forward if needed."

FSU8 will operate as a logistics squad. They will perform duties ranging from driving, supply, bookkeeping, maintenance, force distribution, administration.

Lt Col Ludwig said the unit had almost every trade represented within it.

Mayor Paul Pisasale and Blair MP Shayne Neumann were among dignitaries at the farewell.

Cr Pisasale said he wanted to make sure the troops knew the city was supporting them.

WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

• Australia's involvement in the War in Afghanistan is known as Operation Slipper.
• The war has resulted in 39 Australian deaths since it began in 2001.
• Since 2006 Australian operations have been based out of the city of Tarin Kowt in the Uruzgan province.