Aussie soldiers train Philippine counterparts in urban ops

Australian soldiers, mainly from Townsville’s 1RAR, were deployed to the Philippines late last month to train Philippine soldiers in advanced counter-terrorism and urban-operations warfighting.

CAPTION: Philippine Army soldier Corporal Dennis Nalugon conducts urban-combat training with Australian soldier Lance Corporal Adam Seaman from the 3rd Brigade, at Capinpin, Philippines, as part of Operation Augury. Photo by Corporal Kyle Genner.

Deployed under Operation Augury as Task Group 629 the soldiers are led by 1RAR commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin McLennan.

Operation Augury is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to a whole-of-Australian-government effort to counter terrorism and violent extremism in the domestic, regional and global context.

Joint Task Group 629’s mission recognises that the Armed Forces of the Philippines already has significant counter-terrorism and counter-violent-extremism capabilities, so the training being delivered by the ADF is designed to enhance the capabilities of Filipino soldiers to fight in urban environments.

 

 

The Australian Defence Force expanded its assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to strengthen its long-term ability to combat terrorist threats and prevent the spread of Daesh to our region.

Minister for Defence Marise Payne announced that ADF mobile training teams would provided urban-warfare counter-terrorism training in the Philippines shortly after five months of fierce fighting in the southern Philippines city had officially ended.

Marawi was seized by Daesh-aligned terrorists in May this year.

Many of the soldiers now under Australian tutorage are veterans of the fight to retake Marawi.

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