Australia’s military involvement in Iraq stretches back over 130 years, Diggers told

IN the pre-deploy briefing given at an undisclosed air base to soldiers of all ranks about to enter the theatre of war in Iraq, there is a mandatory history lesson.

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IN the pre-deploy briefing given at an undisclosed air base to soldiers of all ranks about to enter the theatre of war in Iraq, there is a mandatory history lesson.

It follows how Australia first came to the region not just during World War II or during the Saddam Hussein regime but 132 years earlier in 1885 when the NSW colony sent an infantry battalion to Khartoum to put down a rebellion against the British Empire.

It would seem an anomalous footnote to deliver, under the banner Lest We Forget the walls are adorned with the portrait images of some 41 Diggers killed in operations in more recent conflicts; other reminders in the briefing room include a shot vehicle windscreen and defused IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and the real time constant booms, drones and whirrs of warcraft taking off outside on missions across the embattled region.

Warrant Officer Class Two Adam Krongold from Victoria. Picture Gary Ramage

No, the point on outlining the country’s first-ever raised military force to see action is to highlight the long relationship Australia has had with the region that in some ways has posed an indirect threat to Australia’s national interests and allies for 100 years and never more so than now with the scourge that is ISIS.

“It’s about two words — counter terrorism … and it’s better to fight it here than in Hyde Park,” the Australian military officer concludes in his briefing to nods of agreement from those mostly young deployed troops in the room.

It is for this reason Australia has up to 2000 Australian Defence Force personnel in the Middle East working with coalition partners and former foes to ensure extremism remains at arm’s length from the shores.

This is not about oil, enhancing international reputations or demands from big dog nations like the United States and the UK — although all three elements exist in varying degrees — nor is it just about religion and hate.

It is the continuation of a long history of engagement in the embattled region that goes beyond the transport of Afghan camels to inland Australia in the 19th century but the export of the ideals of extremism and violence that threaten national security.

And central to Australia’s defence policy tenant sits Task Group Taji, on it’s fourth deployment rotation and ever-expanding brief to help Iraqis fight ISIS and secure their nation in the heart of the Middle East.

And the enthusiasm for the task is evident from the 300 ADF employed at Taji, north of Baghdad, as they instruct thousands of Iraqis in how to win a war and maintain the peace.

Australian soldiers are training and directing counter terrorism operations against ISIS in and about Mosul. Picture Gary Ramage

WHEN IN ROME

Warrant Officer Adam Krongold from Darwin’s 1st Armour Division likes to quote a Roman Legionnaire when he is drilling his troops.

“Training must be like bloodless battle so that battle is just like bloody training.”

As he stands at a disused military base in the desert near Fallujah in the country’s western Al Anbar province, the quote doesn’t really translate to the Iraqis lined in rows before him.

So he speaks in their language.

“You are here to learn to kill and defeat Daesh … this drill is about getting steal on flesh,” he yells at the shooting range as a translator delivers the message and the Iraqis smile.

He says the message has to be blunt.

Private Jack Cox, 22 years old from Perth WA, with Kiwi soldiers from the training task group. Picture Gary Ramage

The Melbourne-born soldier has spent 20 years in the military and is a veteran of Gulf conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan but said the Taji Task Force is his most rewarding mission. He can see the learning his trainers have imparted on the Iraqis in how they carry themselves both at base but also through the success they have in battle in places like Mosul.

“You can almost see the tangible returns with military operation success of the Iraqi Special Forces and actually on the ground doing it,” he said. “Here there is an enemy out there who wants to cause harm to us and our families and our friends — that’s coalition partners and the Iraqi army — so that’s a real driving force to succeed in this mission.

“I definitely feel very strong about what this mission and the other mission in Afghanistan because we are helping people. Australians are always known for our generosity and helping the downtrodden and these people want their country back, they want to destroy this evil cancer that has come out of the woodwork and we are helping them do it.”

Since May 2015, Task Group Taji — comprising 300 Australians and 106 New Zealanders — has trained 19000 Iraqi Security Forces, including 1912 police, most of whom almost immediately were deployed back into battle.

Commanding Officer of the Training Task Group Trainers LTCOL Chris Gardner. Picture Gary Ramage

The programs have also expanded and Taji is now also running mobile training teams, with ADF personnel deployed closer to the battle lines in the Mosul region staying at predominantly US bases, to take training and assist roles to the Iraqi Security Forces.

The rapport between Iraqi trainee and Aussie trainer is one of mutual respect and admiration, the Australians have the skill and the Iraqis the experience. They show each other photos of loved one and through hand signals, a few re-heard words and interpreters they communicate.

“We can’t be occupied by other people and I think we recognise the need to be trained by other people because the army has not been trained since 2008,” one trainee said.

“We really like the Australians, they are very professional and everyone wants us to succeed.”

Nobody wants to put a timeline on how long Australian troops will be in Iraq but a century of conflict in the region would suggest a long time.

Originally published as Australia’s military involvement in Iraq stretches back over 130 years, Diggers told