DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
MSPA 170/10
Monday, 17 May 2010
Taliban networks targeted in Special Forces operations
Taliban insurgent networks have suffered a series of blows with three commanders
killed in Oruzgan in the past week.
Mullah Jalil, an insurgent commander known to be responsible for Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) attacks against Coalition soldiers operating from Multi-
National Base Tarin Kowt, has been shot and killed in an Afghan National Security
Force led operation supported by the Special Operatons Task Group (SOTG).
Several components used to manufacture IEDs were recovered during the incident.
The Taliban leader believed to be responsible for the IED that killed two Dutch
soldiers on the 17th of April, Abdul Malik has also been killed in a Special Forces
operation.
The recent operations in the Deh Rafshan area will disrupt Taliban activities.
Additionally, the last known Taliban leader in the Gizab district was also killed in a
combined operation over the weekend, which will allow the Afghan Government to
continue to restore services to the locals.
The Commanding Officer of the Australian Special Operations Task Group, said the
operations are examples of the successful training and partnering with Afghan
security forces by Australian forces in Afghanistan.
“Every time we remove an insurgent leader, we make the area safer for Afghan
civilians and help the Afghan government forces to regain control of their
communities from the Taliban.”
In the past month, the SOTG and its partnered Afghan National Security Force
element have also detained two key insurgent leaders who operated in the Mirabad
and Gizab regions of Oruzgan Province.
In a separate incident, three soldiers have been wounded when a Bushmaster
Protected Mobility Vehicle struck an IED. The soldiers are medically assessed as
being in a satisfactory condition and have spoken with their families. As operations
are ongoing, no further information is able to be released.
For more information on Australia’s operations in Afghanistan go to:
Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: (02) 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
