A Battlefield Tourist

Australian Special Operator Killed in Oruzgan

Jul 9 at 11:11pm by David Tate

An IED strike on an Austrailian Special Operations patrol killed one digger, wounding two others July 8th.  An Afghan soldier was also killed.  25-year old Sean McCarthy, of Perth, was a signaller assigned to Special Operations Task Group, which includes members of Australia’s 4th Battalion Commandos and the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR).  McCarthy was SASR.

In early May, the Australians launched an offensive to take long term control of the Baluchi Pass in southern Oruzgan Province. In doing so, the Australians hoped to cut the major, known supply route used by the Taliban shuttling weapons, supplies and fighters north from Helmand Province. 

The Australian offensive coincided with the landing of US Marines in southern Helmand around the same time.  This is the second large scale attempt to pacify the area within the past year.

Of the approximately 1,200 Australian Army personnel in Afghanistan, 200 are stationed in Kandahar and 1,000 in Oruzgan Province.  600 soldiers are assigned to the Dutch-led Provincial Reconstruction Team.