ANZAC Day 2008

28 April 2008
Camp Victory Anzac Day Dawn Service

Across the Middle East Australian troops have paused from their duties to observe Anzac Day. From Baghdad to Kabul the Australian flag has flown at half-mast while Diggers gathered in the pre-dawn gloom to remember their Anzac forefathers and the fighting spirit and sacrifice of Australian soldiers, sailors, airmen and air women that has endured through the generations and remains self-evident in today’s Aussie troops serving across the globe.

Headquarters Joint Task Force 633 is based in Baghdad at Camp Victory, Saddam Hussein's former Al Faw Palace complex. HQ JTF633 has a joint-force team of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel who provide the command function for the Australian Task Groups in Iraq, Afghanistan and the wider Persian Gulf Region as part of Operations Catalyst and Slipper.

Operation Catalyst is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. Working with the Iraqi Government, the ADF continues to contribute to Multi-National Force efforts to develop a secure and stable environment in Iraq, assist national recovery programs and facilitate the transition to Iraq self-government.

Operation Slipper is the ADF contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Operation Slipper is an important component of the Australian Government's commitment to working together with the international community to help prevent acts of terrorism around the world.