Australia and Afghanistan
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CANBERRA — Australia on Sunday marked 25 years since the start of Operation Slipper, its first military contribution to the war in Afghanistan, with a national commemoration honoring the more than 35,000 Australians who served in what became the country's longest conflict.

The Defence Department said the anniversary falls on the day Australian forces first deployed to Afghanistan on Oct. 11, 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. Australia joined an international coalition to combat terrorism and to support security and stability in the country, contributing to the multinational International Security Assistance Force.

Defence said in a statement that over the following two decades more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force members deployed on operations in support of Afghanistan. The department said the missions began with a focus on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency before expanding to include reconstruction, training, mentoring and humanitarian work. Service often meant long separations from family and operating in dangerous conditions alongside coalition partners, Afghan forces and Australian government and non-government organizations.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs organized a national commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, with the official program beginning at 10:30 a.m. Attendance was free and open to serving personnel, veterans, families and members of the public. The service was broadcast live on the ABC and was designed to honor those who served in Afghanistan and the wider Middle East Area of Operations, the families who supported them and the coalition allies who served alongside them.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said earlier this year that the anniversary would be an opportunity for all Australians to express respect and gratitude to those who put themselves in harm's way. The department also released a commemorative coin recognizing everyone who served and the lasting effect of that service on veterans and families, available for collection after the ceremony. It also invited the public to leave messages on an online Wall of Remembrance.

The Defence statement paid tribute to Navy, Army, Air Force and civilian personnel, as well as the families, friends and communities who carried the weight of that service alongside them. It said Australians remember all who died during or as a result of their service in Afghanistan, and recognized those who returned with visible and invisible wounds.

The official toll is a point of some difference between records. The Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial lists 47 Australian Defence Force members who died as a result of their service in Afghanistan. A separate Defence memorial listing has recorded 41 soldiers killed on operations in the country, a figure the government used in earlier statements. The higher Roll of Honour figure includes those who died as a result of their service, rather than only those killed on deployment.

Australia's involvement is sometimes described as a war with no official name. It was fought largely in southern Afghanistan, where Australian troops operated out of Tarin Kot in Uruzgan Province for much of the 2000s and 2010s. Combat operations ended in 2013, and the last troops left Afghanistan in 2021, the same year the Taliban retook Kabul as the U.S.-led coalition withdrew.

That withdrawal left Australian veterans, and many Afghans who had worked alongside coalition forces, grappling with painful questions about what the sacrifice achieved. Successive Australian governments have offered humanitarian places and visas to Afghans who assisted Australian forces, while a Senate inquiry examined the country's engagement in the conflict.

The anniversary also keeps attention on the health of those who served. Veterans' Affairs encouraged those affected by the commemorations to seek help if needed, noting that Open Arms, the veterans and families counseling service, offers free, confidential support around the clock on 1800 011 046.

For many families, Sunday's anniversary was an occasion to reflect rather than celebrate. Defence described Australian service in Afghanistan as part of the national story, marked by sacrifice, mateship, resilience and an enduring commitment to service. A generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians now in their 30s, 40s and beyond carry those years with them, and organizers said the day was intended to give them and their families space to remember.

Australia's longest war is now a quarter of a century old. The ceremony in Canberra, and smaller gatherings around the country, were intended to ensure the people who fought it are not forgotten.