Dutch general Dick Berlijn was pretty vague about the ADF support. He mentioned australian support, but never said the ADF special forces were involved in the fighting at chura (or Chora as the Dutchies call it).
No one at the press conference asked what this Aussie support contained.
The ADF press releases on Saturday and Sunday remained vague as well.
I’d hoped you would have found out, since you’re there. But apparently you haven’t.
I suppose, just like the Dutchies, the Aussies are not saying anything about the combats of their special forces.

Interesting. The Canadian forces are involved in heavy fighting, and it’s well-known, and there is considerable pride in their effectiveness.

Nonetheless, public ignorance nurtured by the MSM is a major problem. At least the government isn’t soft-pedalling anything here.

new info:
Dutch highest militairy man just told parlement the Aussie did not fight in Chora district, he said they formed a shield between the Balluchi Valley and Mirabad.

Hi there, Misa,
I have covered Uruzgan for the last three months, and based on what I know I’d be very surprised if the Aussies wouldn’t have fought. To such an extent, that I don’t really consider this possible. After all their special forces have gone to Uruzgan to do just that in the first place. So I’d like to ask you to insert here a link (if the source is in Dutch, that’s alright), to show where Berlijn said that the Aussies haven’t fought. I can, meanwhile point to this link for you, in The Australian. Berlijn (on another occasion, possibly) did say that the Aussies were fighting. So I’d be curious to know if there is an attempt – which David has suggested already anyway – to make the Australian role less visible. Or if this all is just a misunderstanding. Perhaps on the part of The Australian. I don’t know, and the point is that I want to find out. Thanks for the help in advance.
So, the link:
http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21953751-2702,00.html?from=public_rss
(Title of the article: ‘Diggers, Dutch clash with Taliban’)
Regards,
Péter

Hi Péter,
Please find enclosed the link of the Dutch source wherein written that Australians didn’t fight in Chora.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/66318911/_Australische_troepen_vochten_niet_bij_Chora_.html
Also, based on this contradictional information, I’ll write an article about this subject on
http://www.hetvrijevolk.com/
Best regards,
Arjan

In his first press conference on friday June 22 Berlijn said that Dutch, Australian and Aghans had fought. During the weekend the Australian MOD handed out a press report that no Australian troops were involved in the combat.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21957030-29277,00.html

Earlier today Berlijn said that the Australian troops were not involved in combat but supported Dutch troops by closing off the Baluchi valley.

Either Berlijn let something slip that the Australian MOD did not want to get out or it was just a misinterpretation from the press and Berlijn corrected this today (probably after speaking with Australian officials).

Strange that Special Forces are used for back-up action. You would think the opposite would take place. Like the Dutch Special Forces are on shoot-to-kill operations, at least they were in Iraq since 911, I reckon the rest is doing the same.

Nobody is going to be able to build up an accurate picture of what Australian SF have done in this battle. The DOD gives out practically zero information while they are operating and very little once they have left. Unless you were there with them, whatever you hear would be hearsay and conjecture.

Hi there everyone,
My thanks to Arjan, Bob, and Hawk. Also to Arjan: I’ll check out the article, thanks for that as well.
Seems to me now that the ‘Berlijn let it slip’ scenario is the most realistic perhaps.
Péter

The question is when did Berlijn ’slip’ his tongue. The first or latter? I guess he was instructed to correct his words. I cannot believe that very well trained troops are used for second rate battle action.

[...] U.S. and Australian tactics call for ambushed patrols to speed to safety immediately. But in the aftermath of the June 15 blast, the Dutch patrol remained halted in the ambush zone. This despite the fact that all of the vehicles were capable of traveling. Instead of rushing their injured to the hospital at Kamp Holland, five miles away, Dutch medics attempted to treat them in the ambush zone. Smeehuyzen, the most crtically injured, died after an hour. During this period, Dutch commanders turned down offers to help from an Australian platoon, including a medic and several heavy trucks, that was just two blocks away guarding a reconstruction project and witnessed the explosion. [...]

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More info on what happened to the Aussies. Apparently they pulled out of the operation fearing civilian casualties.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22661193-23109,00.html

Australian troops do not feel the need to big note their operations such as over bearing US forces always do.

They are special forces, not gung ho blow em all up marine types. Australian troops have always adopted a low key approach in Iraq and Afganistan.

Thats why we dont have large casualties, because we fight smart, not loud and obnoxious like the US military.

Australian troops could not care less about informing journalists on their plans or movements, get used to it, it’s the way we do things.

Aussies are pissies. Just act tough but in reality cowards. Here’s what Wired magazine says about Australian troops:

Five years ago President George W. Bush hailed Australia — a nation of just 20 million people — as America’s “sheriff” in the Pacific, fighting to bring stability to its own region while also contributing to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The great thing about Australians,” Bush said, “is they’re not afraid.”

Indeed, I’ve dropped in on Australian military contingents in southern Iraq, southern Afghanistan (pictured) and East Timor. In Timor the Aussies head a small international coalition, but elsewhere they’re junior partners, generally content to play a supporting role. Now one respected Australian general, recently retired, has written a book accusing the island nation of deliberately avoiding heavy combat while still reaping the political benefits of serving alongside the U.S., Great Britain and Canada.

[Major General Jim] Molan says Australia does not have generals who control troops on the battlefield. It has not been involved in “serious, joint, sustained combat since Vietnam”. Instead, it luxuriates in limited deployments of choice within wars of choice.

Come to think of it, Aussie troops in Afghanistan were notably absent from the fighting when the Taliban assaulted a Dutch- and Australian-controlled town last year. “Where were the Aussies?” I asked in the aftermath of the battle. They were, it seems, pursuing a strategy of just appearing tough, without ever actually being tough.

The problem, Molan contends, is that future wars won’t leave room for politically motivated but passive junior partners. “[I]t is Australia’s enemies that will have a major say in dictating our future military engagements, not Canberra’s strategic experts,” The Australian writes. “We delude ourselves to think Australia can just decide how and when to fight.”