Australian troops in fierce combat with insurgents

SPECIAL forces troops had ''ripped the heart out'' of a powerful insurgent group in a battle in southern Afghanistan, the commander of Australian forces in the Middle East said.

The battle occurred during a five-day operation in Kandahar province, where Australian commandos and Special Air Service soldiers are taking part in what the NATO-led coalition hopes will be a decisive push against insurgent strongholds over the next few weeks.

Major-General John Cantwell said the Australian troops and their Afghan counterparts had routed a group of well-trained and well-armed fighters, many of whom are believed to have trained in Pakistan.

Defence will not comment on how many Australians were involved in the battle, or on how many insurgents were killed, but an Australian soldier was shot in the arm and an Afghan soldier was shot in the side.

''These are definitely the bad lands, it's an insurgent haven, it's very tough terrain, it's very hard to get in there and any time we send our forces in there, we know we're in for a fight, and that's certainly what we got on this occasion,'' Major-General Cantwell told the Herald.

''It stands out as one of the most significant military actions our blokes have been involved in for many years.''

Major-General Cantwell said the area was important because it was close to Kandahar, an insurgent haven, and it controlled approaches to Oruzgan province, where most of Australia's 1500 troops are stationed.

Australian commandos who first arrived in the area, Shah Wali Kot, were greeted by heavy resistance, Major-General Cantwell said. The Afghan-Australian forces then learned more insurgents were massing to attack the commandos, and the SAS troops were sent in by helicopter to attack.

''They were straight into the thick of a very intense gunfight as they were getting off the helicopters, and some of the helicopters sustained damage in the process,'' Major-General Cantwell said.

''I cannot tell you how extraordinary the feats of combat skill and courage were on display by our special forces guys from the minute they were off those helicopters. Straight into the teeth of the fight, under heavy machine-gun fire, heavy [rocket-propelled grenade] fire and heavy small arms fire.''

Major-General Cantwell said the Australian troops decided not to call in an air bombardment because they were not sure if civilians were present. Instead they fought the insurgents house to house.

It is believed that some of the fighters killed had been trained in Pakistan, where senior Taliban leaders fled after the coalition overthrew their government nearly a decade ago.

While the Defence Minister, John Faulkner, and the Defence Force Chief, Angus Houston, have been reluctant to disclose exactly what role the Australian troops are playing in the Kandahar offensive, they have said consistently that special forces will be involved in ''shaping operations'' - defined by Air Chief Marshal Houston as disrupting Taliban sanctuaries.

The action last week came days after a roadside bomb in Oruzgan killed Sappers Darren Smith and Jacob Moerland, and Sapper Smith's sniffer dog.

Sapper Moerland's funeral will be held in the town of Gayndah, in Queensland, today.
SMH