Dutch and Aussies in action together in Uruzgan

Not quite a warm and fuzzy force (with video of Aussies):

DUTCH heavy artillery has been used to pound suspected Taliban positions as round-the-clock military operations continue without to root out insurgents operating in mountains close to this strategic base in Oruzgan province jointly manned by an Australian task force.

A brief siren wail was the only warning Sunday afternoon that a huge 155 millimetre self-propelled gun was about to fire.

Over the course of an hour the German-built Panzerhaubitze 155mm self-propelled howitzer [video here], short-listed for procurement by the Australian Defence Force [emphasis added], fired six rounds of highly specialised extended range ammunition capable of hitting targets with pinpoint precision 40km away.

The thunderclap detonations sent shock waves through Camp Holland the name given to this predominately Dutch base that is shared by 400 Australian Army engineers and a 300-strong special forces task group.

Details of the fire support mission were not given but followed a day of intense air activity over Tarin Kowt involving Dutch Apache helicopter gun ships and Blackhawk transport helicopters [emphasis added--copters must be US as Dutch have CH-47s].

Australian troops are also heavily involved clearing Taliban extremists from the strategic Baluchi Pass in the Chora valley north east of Tarin Kowt.

It was in this area that army trooper David Pearce and Special Forces commando Private Luke Worsley were killed in action.

Concerns have been raised that the NATO-backed International Assistance Security Force-ISAF of which Australia is a major member is spread too thinly especially in violence-racked Oruzgan the birthplace of Taliban spiritual leader, Mullah Omar.

The Dutch military who have administrative control of Tarin Kowt work closely with the Australian soldiers.

Their six F16 fighter bombers based at Kandahar [emphasis added], south of here, are ready to provide close air support and have already been used to assist New Zealand special forces during highly secretive missions.

Earlier this year coalition air support was so close to an Australian military convoy the exploding precision guided munitions temporarily knocked out radio communications in the Bushmaster and light armoured fighting vehicles (ASLAVs) [basically LAV III].

Using only his first name for security purposes a senior Dutch air force commander Major Richard said his biggest worry during high-risk close support missions was causing harm to innocent Afghan civilians...