Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined hundreds of veterans, family members and dignitaries at a commemoration of the start of Operation Slipper in Canberra on Sunday. The ceremony, held at the Australian War Memorial, marked the 25th anniversary of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan. Among those in attendance was the nation’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts‑Smith, who has been accused of war crimes.
Albanese described the conflict as a fight for “who we are as a people.” He recalled that at the time of the campaign’s launch, the world was still reeling from the September 11 attacks and that a year later the Bali bombings would further shock the nation. He said Australia’s decision to deploy was driven by the principle that the attacks represented a threat to the way of life shared by Australians and their allies.
Roberts‑Smith, who denies the allegations that he murdered five unarmed detainees, attended the event with his partner Sarah Matulin after a judge varied his bail conditions to allow the visit. The former Special Air Service corporal was awarded the Victoria Cross for his service in Afghanistan, but the accusations have cast a shadow over his legacy.
More than 35,000 Australian defence personnel served in Afghanistan over two decades, with 47 Australians killed and 263 wounded. Allied forces and thousands of civilians also suffered casualties. Veterans such as Mathew Bell, who served in 2012, remember their mission as one that brought education, medical services and a sense of freedom to local communities, contrasting it with the current Taliban rule.
Commemorative services were also held at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney’s Hyde Park, Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and other sites nationwide. Operation Slipper was followed by Operation Highroad and the Kabul airlift in August 2021, marking the end of Australian combat operations in the country.
