| September
11, 2001: |
Nineteen
men linked to Osam bin Laden’s al Qa’eda network hijack
three commercial airliners and crash them into the World Trade
Centre and the Pentagon.
A fourth hijacked jet crashes into a rural Pennsylvania field
after American civilians attempt to seize control from the terrorists
– it is believed this aircraft may have been heading for
the White House.
More than 3000 civilians die in the terrorist attacks –
10 of them Australian. |
| October
7, 2001: |
| Operation
Enduring Freedom begins when US-led forces take military action
against al Qa’eda forces in Afghanistan. |
| October
15, 2001: |
| US
President George W. Bush requests Australia to activate the
commitment it made to join the coalition force. |
| October
16, 2001: |
|
Prime
Minister John Howard announces that Australia will provide
1500 ADF personnel by mid-November to support the US in its
fight against terrorism:
-
A SASR squadron to be deployed by November
-
Two RAAF B707 tanker aircraft deployed to Kyrgystan
-
16 AD Regt deployed as part of the Australian maritime force
comprising an amphibious command ship with helicopter support,
two frigates to escort and protect Coalition shipping
-
Two RAAF PC3-C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft
|
| November
7, 2001: |
| US
President George W. Bush announces crackdown on Terrorist financial
network. |
| November
8, 2001: |
| The
ADF holds a national day of prayer for deployed personnel serving
in the Middle East as part of the coalition. |
| February
16, 2002: |
| Sgt
Andrew Russell, SASR, is fatally wounded in action in Afghanistan.
The 33-year-old fallen soldier is the first Australian military
death in action since the Vietnam War more than 30 years ago. |
| March
28, 2002: |
| Australian
Special Forces play a major role in US-led Operation Anaconda,
with battle-damage assessments indicating more than 500 enemy
fighters are killed. |
| May
16, 2002: |
| Two
SASR elements are contacted by suspected Taliban forces in separate
incidents. There are no Australian casualties. |
| May
23, 2002: |
| Defence
Minister Robert Hill unveils plans to deploy a third rotation
of SASR soldiers to Afghanistan. |
| June
6, 2002: |
| Operation
Torii is completed in Afghanistan’s Tora Bora area with
the destruction of underground sites believed to be used by
al Qa’eda terrorists in December 2001. |
| August
1, 2002: |
| The
US awards the United States Bronze Star to outgoing Commander
of the Special Forces Task Group in Afghanistan, Lt-Col Rowan
Tink, for his outstanding contribution to the international
coalition against terrorism’s Operation Enduring Freedom. |
–
Compiled by Cpl Alisha Carr.
|
