Today is the 25th anniversary of the start of Operation Slipper – the Australian Defence Force’s first declared mission in Afghanistan in what would be our longest war.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 – in America’s darkest hour – Australia stood by our ally and dear friend. On 14 September, showing moral clarity and leadership, John Howard invoked ANZUS. And soon after, Australia joined a multinational mission to take the fight to al-Qa’ida.
For twenty years, under Operation Slipper and Operation Highroad, Australian warfighters helped to deny the terrorists a safe haven, to foil al-Qa’ida, to bring its leadership to justice, and to prevent further terrorist attacks from being carried out around the world and on our soil. It was right for our nation to join the war on terror.
More than 35,000 men and women of the Australian Defence Force bravely served in Afghanistan. Many still bear the wounds of their service, seen and unseen. Tragically, 47 Australians were killed.
On this anniversary, my thoughts and deep gratitude are with all those who served in Afghanistan, and especially with the families of those Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice. Your service made a difference. Your service made our nation and the world safer.
We thank all our veterans of Afghanistan for their service, suffering and sacrifice. We owe them a debt that can never be repaid, but our nation will never forget and always honour what they achieved. I was able to honour our Afghanistan warfighters today at a commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial. And I also reflected on the important role our intelligence officers and diplomatic corps played in the war.
Today is also a significant day for many Afghans who risked their lives to work with the Australians Defence Force and are now committed fellow Australians.
Five years after the war in Afghanistan, Islamist extremism remains a civilisational threat. It has evolved since 9/11, taken many forms, and been called many things. But it is still Islamist extremism. And we must continue to fight it with resolve – both at home and around the world with our allies and partners. And fight it we will, because we love life more than the terrorists love death.
My commitment to Australians is to keep out and root out Islamist extremism. We will protect our way of life. We remain committed to thwarting terrorism, inspired by the spirit and service of our veterans of Afghanistan.
