Whose Name We Share

55 Iraq 2005- Al Muthana Task Group - 2 The Army Special Forces Task Group in Western Iraq withdrew from the area in 2003 following the Australian Government’s decision to switch gears in their commitment to the region. The Australian Government had decided to cease contributions to providing security on the ground and instead moved to provide Iraq with the Australian Army Training Teams as well as a number of military staff to protect Australia’s Diplomatic and Military Staff in Baghdad. This change of focus came as the Australian Government had agreed to a request from the British and Japanese Governments to assist in providing a secure environment for the Japanese reconstruction groups as they made plans to assist in the Al Muthana province. This province was a part of the British area of operations, previously secured by the Dutch and was a very large but relatively poor rural province populated by the Shiite peoples of the Shia branch of Islam. The province at this time was known to be one of the more stable regions but was at times unpredictable as locals became frustrated at the slow pace of reconstruction efforts. On the 22 nd February 2005 the Prime Minster Hon John Howard made the announcement that the Australian Army would assist with the betterment of Iraq. The Australian Army task group deployed to Al Muthanna province, South Iraq. The task was to provide a secure working environment for the Japanese Reconstruction and Support Group as they were performing essential humanitarian tasks as well as rebuilding local areas. The secondary task was to train the local Iraqi Army so that they could one day take over the role of defending their country – a role the ADF still plays to this day, albeit under the name Task Force Taji. The Al Muthanna Task Group (AMTG) was an army combined arms battle group established in April of 2005 and had two primary focuses. One: to provide security to the Japanese reconstruction efforts and two: to assist in the training of the Iraqi army. The first rotation utilised the 2 nd Cavalry Regiment’s HQ elements which were supported by the 101 st Battery and was made up of some 450 personnel, most of which were dedicated to the security focus in dismounted operations. On the second six month rotation of AMTG, the 103 rd Battery began supporting the 5 th /7 th Battalion in training the Iraqi Army until June 2006. During the same time the battery also deployed its Joint Offensive Support Coordination Centre (JOSCC) and FO parties lead by BC 103 MAJ S Jenkins. 131 STA Battery’s Weapon Locating Radar and UAVs also came under the umbrella of the 103 rd Battery’s commitment, meaning the battery commanded the ADF’s first ever deployment of UAVs on war -like operations.