Operation Slipper-SOTG

Image by: Corporal Raymond Vance

Caption: Special Operations Task Group soldiers make their way to a waiting UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter after a Shura in Sha Wali Kot.

Mid Caption: Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) partnered with Australian Special Forces from the Special Operations Task Group conducted a deliberate operation to clear a Taliban insurgent stronghold in the Shah Wali Kot region of northern Kandahar province.

The Shah Wali Kot Offensive comprised synchronised and deliberate clearance operations involving Australian Commandos combined with a number of surgical helicopter-born assaults from Special Air Service (SAS) troops on key targets.

Removing Taliban insurgents from Afghan communities allows the Government of Afghanistan to establish a presence and gain the trust of the community to provide them with necessary infrastructure and security that was not provided by the insurgents.