Image Gallery 2009
07 April 2009
Patrolling Baluchi Valley
The Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) based in the northern Baluchi Valley continues to work closely with their Afghan National Army partners. The soldiers who share the newly constructed Combat Out Post Mashal regularly patrol the area, denying insurgent freedom of movement.
Missions regularly involve cordon and search operations, where the soldiers conduct patrols in the rural green zone and conduct ANA-led searches of Qualas of interest. Qualas are the mud brick, walled compounds that local national families call home. The searches are conducted to find weapons and explosive caches that insurgents stockpile, which they will use to target Coalition and Afghan Security Forces at a later date.
Responsive to local customs and sensitivities, the searches are conducted and led by the Afghan soldiers, who are supported by their Australian mentors.
When specialist capabilities are required, Australian engineers will be called forward to bring their capabilities to bear in the search for insurgent weapons.
| 20090329adf8185016_0096 Afghan National Army soldiers, partnered and mentored by Australian soldiers from the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force conduct a search for insurgent weapons caches in the northern Baluchi Valley, Uruzgan Province. (Date taken: 29 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090329adf8185016_0115 Warrant Officer Class 2 Michael Reyne, a member of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, moves through a village in the Baluchi Valley on a partnered patrol with soldiers from the Afghan National Army. (Date taken: 29 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090329adf8185016_0125 An Afghan Soldier from the 2nd Kandak pauses during a partnered patrol with the Australian Mentoring Team. (Date taken: 29 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090329adf8185016_0130 Sergeant Scott Krum leads a contingent of Afghan National Army soldiers during an Australian/ANA patrol in the Northern Baluchi Valley, Afghanistan. (Date taken: 29 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090329adf8185016_0133 Captain Mathew Hodda (left) radios higher command whilst he and fellow Australians assist their Afghan partners during the search of a Quala in the Baluchi Valley. Captain Hodda and the Australian soldiers are members of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams, tasked with mentoring the Afghan soldiers of the 2nd Kandak. (Date taken: 29 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090329adf8185016_0142 Warrant Officer Class 2 Michael Reyne observes as the Afghan soldiers that his team are mentoring, take the lead in a Quala search in southern Afghanistan. The searches are looking to uncover insurgent weapons and explosive caches. (Date taken: 29 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090330adf8185016_0061 Partners on patrol, Warrant Officer Class 2 Michael Reyne, Sergeant Donna Haigh and Afghan soldiers discuss local security with a villager in the Baluchi Valley, southern Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090330adf8185016_0069 Private Matt Bryson moves through an Afghan wheatfield as he and fellow Australian mentors patrol with their Afghan National Army counterparts in Uruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090330adf8185016_0072 Warrant Officer Class 2 Michael Reyne and his counterparts from the Afghan National Army interact with local villagers during a joint patrol in the Baluchi region of Uruzgan Province. (Date taken: 30 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090330adf8185016_0088 Wearing different uniforms, but sharing the same goals and risks, Australian and Afghan soldiers conduct a joint security patrol in the northern Baluchi Valley, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090330adf8185016_0090 Private Matt Bryson scans for threats as he patrols through the Baluchi Valley during an Australian/Afghan National Army patrol in southern Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090330adf8185016_0093 With a quala search successfully completed, elements of Combat Team Tusk, the Australian Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team and soldiers from the 2nd Kandak, Afghan National Army marry up before continuing on their patrol of the Baluchi Valley, southern Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 March 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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