28 January 2025
After more than 10 years, the last ADF servicemen and women deployed under Operation Okra left the Middle East late last year.
The joint operation was Australia’s commitment to a US-led multinational effort to combat the Daesh terrorist threat in Iraq and Syria.
The extremist group came to prominence in 2014 after militants captured large areas of Syria and Iraq.
Then-Leading Seaman Jake Badior landed in Iraq to the crash of distant explosions as government forces laid siege to retake Fallujah.
The imagery specialist deployed to the Middle East to document the efforts of Task Group Taji, a joint Australia-New Zealand mission to train Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against Daesh.
He was just one of eight Navy personnel in the 400-strong Taji Military Complex.
“It was an amazing experience, not one that many Navy personnel can ever say they’ve been a part of,” Sub-Lieutenant Badior said.
“Iraqis love photographs and they love photographers – I was documenting everything because I knew it was a part of history.
“It’s amazing to think that I was contributing to Australia’s history of operations.”
'It was an amazing experience, not one that many Navy personnel can ever say they’ve been a part of.'
Commander Russell Skor deployed alongside Sub-Lieutenant Badior in 2016.
The registered nurse worked in Camp Taji’s Role 2 hospital as part of a seven-person Navy medical team.
But it was his work outside the hospital that he remembers most.
“The Iraqis were beautiful people; they shared their lives and stories,” Commander Skor said.
“Some lived through both Gulf Wars and were now fighting Daesh.”
He spent a third of his time teaching thousands of Iraqi soldiers life-saving skills, such as tactical care of the battle casualty.
Many of the soldiers trained by Commander Skor would go on to fight in Mosul later that year.
“We created a close connection with the Iraqis and developed some really good training. It allowed them to go on and win the fight.
“The Anzac spirit delivered the outcome the Iraqis needed. It was a really good experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Task Group Taji, which concluded in 2020 after five years, trained more than 47,000 Iraqi Security Forces personnel.
Operation Okra also included deployments of an Air Task Group, a Special Operations Task Group, and a number of ADF personnel embedded in coalition positions and liaison roles.
The Air Task Group completed more than 2700 sorties against targets in Iraq and eastern Syria; flew more than 550 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions; delivered more than 47.2 million kilograms of fuel by air-to-air refueling; and supported numerous air transport sorties.
