Australia's 'desert phantoms' wreak havoc among Iraqi military deep behind enemy lines
CANBERRA, Australia - The military's top brass call them "Phantoms of the Desert."
They are Australia's 150 battle-hardened commandos in Iraq (news - web sites), running "shoot and scoot" missions deep behind enemy lines ? attacking hard and fast before melting back into the sand.
The special forces commandos are at the core of the country's 2,000 troops ? far outnumbered by U.S. and British forces ? committed to the coalition war in Iraq. Many have served in conflicts from Afghanistan to East Timor.
They are "the best of the best," army chief Lt. Gen. Peter Leahy said Tuesday, while giving an unprecedented public profile of soldiers whose operations and identities usually are cloaked in secrecy.
"This is not your Hollywood movie super hero. This is a quiet, resolute, very intense man, a man who can make very intelligent judgments, a man who can operate as part of a team," said Leahy. "They are physically fit but not supermen."
Trained in Australia's harsh Outback deserts and tropical northern jungles, their exploits already have earned high praise from coalition allies.
"From left to right and top to bottom in the west and also in the north ... they have accomplished some wonderful things out there," U.S. Cmdr. Gen. Tommy Franks said Monday of Australian special forces and their British counterparts.
Warrant Officer Paul Dunbavin, 34, is a member of the 4RAR special forces regiment, which along with the Special Air Service Regiment, has sent commandoes to Iraq. He's trained to be "inserted" behind enemy lines by air, sea or land to attack enemy targets. He's been schooled to fight in urban, amphibious, desert and jungle conditions.
His group's motto is simple.
"Duty first," says Dunbavin, a soldier of 16 years and a commando for 12. "There's a lot of camaraderie and the boys are well trained. It's good to know you are part of a well disciplined team," he told The Associated Press in Canberra.
A commando typically will carry an M4 assault rifle with grenade launcher, night vision targeting system and 450 rounds of ammunition; a browning 9mm pistol with 50 rounds; up to 12 gun-launched grenades, two hand grenades and a hunting knife.
His backpack includes a daily rations pack, first aid kit including intravenous drip, red and green light sticks, a flashlight that attaches to his rifle, sand goggles, night vision goggles, 10 liters (quarts) of water, two spare pairs of socks, cold weather underclothing, wet weather gear, a small tent-style shelter and mosquito net.
Added up, the pack, weapons and uniform weigh more than 60 kilograms (132 pounds).
When the first bombs began dropping on Baghdad last week, men like Dunbavin already were deep in Iraq to track key military targets and destroy them, either with their own weapons or by calling in coalition air strikes.
Working in small teams of about five men in jeeps, they can operate for up to six weeks without logistical support; if necessary, they are trained to live off the land indefinitely.
The teams mostly work independently, but according to Leahy they can quickly coalesce into a "significant force," strike hard and then "melt away" into the desert.
"Their preference is to observe and not be seen; if required to attack they will be speedy, vigorous, resolute and bold," said Leahy.
According to several media reports, none of which Canberra will comment on, some teams have been operating in western Iraq, seeking to destroy missile bases that might have been capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction into Israel.
In the past week Australian defense officials have revealed that the commandos destroyed a ballistic missile base, a command center for Iraqi troops and a column of Iraqi soldiers heading toward battle zones in the south. They have had several skirmishes with Iraqi troops, taking an unknown number of enemy lives but sustaining no casualties of their own.
"They are generally creating havoc and uncertainty behind lines, and are constantly redeploying in their area of operations," Leahy said.
According to an unconfirmed report in a British newspaper, Australian special forces captured an Iraqi military airport that is now being used for coalition air operations.
Dunbavin said he wants to see the war over as soon as possible, and want his friends back home safe, but he does feel a touch of envy for those now in Iraq.
"There is a bit of professional jealousy," he says with just the hint of a smile. "I just hope that the thing pans out very quickly and everyone's safe and comes home. But, if I get to go, I get to go."
