DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
MSPA 519/10
Friday, 5 November 2010
Uruzgan Provincial Response Company and Australian
Special Forces hit insurgents hard
The Australian Defence Force and Afghan National Police recently conducted highly
successful joint operations in the Shah Wali Kot region of northern Kandahar,
Afghanistan. These operations killed numerous insurgents, including an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) facilitator, Mullah Mohammed Rahim, and mid-level
commanders.
The Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) and the Uruzgan Provincial Response
Company (PRC) operations also netted a large number of weapons.
Commander of Joint Task Force 633, Major General John Cantwell, said Mullah
Rahim and his men demonstrated ruthlessness and disregard for civilian safety, firing
at the Afghan and Australian force from multiple machine gun positions in and
around civilian compounds.
He said at one stage during the contact Afghan and Australian soldiers escorted up to
34 women and children to safety while under fire.
It was during these operations that four SOTG soldiers were wounded (as reported by
Defence on Monday 25 October). No Afghan civilians were injured or killed during
the operation.
“The soldiers of the SOTG and the PRC ensured the safety of a large number of
villagers under threat of indiscriminate insurgent fire before regaining control of the
battlefield and clearing the area,” Major General Cantwell said.
“The SOTG and Afghan forces exercised careful judgement in this complex
environment identifying insurgents and ensuring that no villagers were harmed by
their fire,” he added.
The insurgent identified as Mullah Mohammed Rahim was known to have
commanded up to 30 insurgent fighters and for his significant involvement in the
construction and use of IEDs.
Major General Cantwell said the elimination of Mullah Rahim, and other high
and
mid-level Taliban insurgents, would hinder the insurgents’ ability to operate in the
Shah Wali Kot region.
DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
Two of the four wounded SOTG soldiers have returned to Australia for further
treatment.
Both men are in a satisfactory condition and will make a full recovery.
The other two soldiers wounded in the same incident have returned to operational
duties.
For more information regarding Australian Defence Force operations in Afghanistan,
Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
