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Caption:

Australian soldiers, from the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force form a secure perimeter on a hill in the Baluchi Valley, southern Afghanistan, during Operation Tura Ghar

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Mid Caption:

The Baluchi Valley region has long been a sanctuary for insurgents and during January and February of 2009 nearly 800 Australian, Afghan and Dutch soldiers participated in Operation Tura Ghar to remove the insurgent threat and create a better security situation in the region.

Australian soldiers from the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force including Combat Team Tusk and the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams, conducted partnered operations with the Afghan National Army (ANA) throughout the operation.

The Baluchi Valley is an area of rugged mountains, lush ?green zones?, the desert-like ?dascht? and walled villages. The Australians and their ANA counterparts conducted operations in all these terrains through the wet and snowy conditions of an Afghan Winter.