299:
The patrol waited 20 minutes before hearing the sound of the Black Hawks. The helicopters circled the battlefield in an attempt to support the forces on the ground, yet with the militia attack faltering they began to withdraw, presenting enticing yet forbidden targets for the door gunners. The patrol threw a smoke grenade to signal their location with the Black Hawks coming in fast to land. The patrol boarded a single Black Hawk to extract. A six-man RRF had inserted from this Black Hawk providing cover for the patrol to board the Black Hawk waiting until it was airborne before boarding the second Black Hawk joining the rest of the RRF. The helicopters circled back with the helicopter containing the patrol landing at the site of the contact, which had been observed to be clear of militia. Three members of the patrol were set down in a small clearing nearby, recovering the previously abandoned packs and a number of weapons from the dead bodies with the other Black Hawk hovering providing fire support.
295:-based Rapid Reaction Force (RRF). The militia could be heard moving through the dense vegetation. The signaller had an issue with communications. Observing them through the undergrowth, two militia were soon sighted with the patrol second-in-command opening fire on them just 7 metres (23 ft) away. Two were probably hit. Militia started to encircle the patrol firing blindly maybe seven to nine men sweeping and men to rear directing the assault. The medic fired into moving vegetation then Oddy. The second-in-command threw two grenades after rounds hit dirt within a foot from his position. Oddy decided to break contact, directing his men to leave their heavy packs. Fennell was directed to take up a position in the creek and the second scout together with the signaller cleared the packs each taking a radio to leave nothing behind. The two scouts crossed the creek followed by the rest of the patrol one at a time. Sporadic fire came from vegetation on the opposite bank after they all crossed.
288:
bank. Within minutes the militia began probing the
Australian position, with the patrol medic observing two militia moving up the creek bed 80 metres (260 ft) away, from the same direction as the previous group. He engaged the group, killing one of the attackers, and Fennell fired several grenades. The two scouts started to receive fire from all directions, as the sound of the intense action had attracted further militia to the fight. Oddy directed the scouts to re-cross to regroup, providing covering fire with Fennell crossing first followed by the medic crossing whilst firing.
149:
120:
88:
276:. As the Australians prepared their position a group of six militia in camouflage and webbing were observed moving stealthily along the creek bed. Rear scout Keith Fennell observed the militia from a distance of 20 metres (66 ft) noticing that three of the group appeared to have had military training. Fennell engaged the lead militia scout when he approached within 10m of his position before they made eye contact firing half of his magazine from his
323:—who were alleged to be involved in co-ordinating the activities of the militia—after hearing the Black Hawk helicopter landing on the day of insertion, had formed the view a reconnaissance patrol had been inserted. There had been at least 60 armed militia with another 40 unarmed militia organised to search for the patrol. These were organised into three 20-man groups, divided into six man teams. Farrell states that intelligence from
161:
101:
130:
34:
298:
After moving through 300 metres (980 ft) of vegetation Oddy ordered the patrol to set up a defensive perimeter so that the signaller could contact Dili again. Responding to the calls for assistance, the 12-man Rapid
Response Force in two Black Hawks was dispatched to the position of the contact.
287:
Oddy decided to send the scouts
Fennell and the patrol medic/machine gunner to back over the creek bed in order to increase their field of vision with support provided by the three other patrol members on the bank. The scouts crossed over observing the deceased militia scout and began to traverse the
231:
border, and saw the
Australians attacking a group of more than sixty armed militia. The SASR patrol had been detected whilst establishing an observation post over a village and had to fight their way to a landing zone, being attacked a further three times over a one-and-a-half-hour period, killing a
307:
At least four militia were killed during the fighting, with another four believed to have been wounded. Local villagers nearby later reported that the attackers had suffered five killed and three wounded although this could not be confirmed. There were no
Australian casualties. According to Horner
244:
A six-man
Australian covert reconnaissance patrol had been tasked to infiltrate to a village on foot after insertion from a Black Hawk helicopter to conduct a reconnaissance following intelligence reports that over 100 armed militia were in the area. If the patrol confirmed the intelligence, a
257:
light machine gun, and the signaller. On 13 October 1999, the patrol was inserted 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the village near
Aidabasalala via a Black Hawk helicopter. Over the next three days they moved south-west towards their objective, spending a whole day in a village without being
266:
At 07:00 on the morning of 16 October 1999 the
Australian reconnaissance patrol was moving forward when it came into contact with pro-Indonesian militia. The initial contact occurred as the Australians crossed the dry bed of the Moto Meuculi Creek and prepared to establish an
308:
the
Australian patrol had demonstrated exceptional fire discipline and one member did not even fire his weapon at all as no militia had appeared in his arc of responsibility. In total they fired just 200 rounds from the machine-gunner's
271:
in the area which was believed to have been a major militia infiltration route from West Timor. The creek bed was about 10 metres (33 ft) wide with high banks of nearly 3 metres (9.8 ft) surrounded by scrub, long grass and
312:
and only 67 rounds from their M4s during the action. Further RESPFOR teams were inserted into the area after the fighting, recovering the bodies of three of the dead militia. Meanwhile, a company from
540:
284:
at the retreating militia. Movement was observed 50 metres (160 ft) away with
Fennell, Oddy and the signaller who had moved up all firing their M4s and several 40mm grenades.
291:
The patrol moved to establish an all-round defensive position and attempted to establish communications to advise the patrol was in contact and required the assistance of the
249:-level assault would take place. The patrol was led by Sergeant Steven Oddy, and consisted of the patrol second-in-command who was a sergeant from the British
646:
313:
153:
550:
280:. He hit the lead scout and fired on the rest of the scattering group. Oddy then joined Fennell, firing several 40 mm grenades from his
656:
651:
597:
253:
on a two-year exchange posting to the SASR, two scouts (one of whom was Lance Corporal Keith Fennell), the patrol medic equipped with a
224:
584:
529:
510:
491:
216:
641:
636:
545:
204:
25:
33:
105:
327:
sources claimed that the militia involved had been part of a group that was trying to cross the border to
316:(2 RAR) conducted a sweep of the area six hours after the contact, but they failed to locate any militia.
208:
281:
250:
335:
580:
525:
506:
487:
268:
233:
227:(INTERFET). The battle took place near Aidabasalala, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the
246:
134:
220:
212:
630:
277:
228:
60:
612:
599:
319:
Later intelligence reported that the Indonesian military special forces unit
309:
254:
160:
148:
119:
100:
93:
324:
320:
328:
273:
232:
number of their opponents before they were successfully extracted by
524:(Second ed.). Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.
292:
203:(16 October 1999) was a small but hard-fought action during the
541:"Gallantry Award For Sergeant Who Led Bloody Timor Battle"
366:
364:
362:
360:
358:
356:
354:
352:
350:
425:
423:
421:
419:
417:
415:
579:(Second ed.). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
38:An Australian Army S-70 Blackhawk over East Timor
484:Peace Makers: INTERFETs Liberation of East Timor
503:Warrior Brothers: My Life in the Australian SAS
18:
331:in West Timor after previously being cut-off.
338:(MG) for his leadership during the fighting.
8:
15:
505:. North Sydney, New South Wales: Bantam.
577:The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles
314:2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
549:. Sydney: Fairfax Media. Archived from
453:
441:
406:
370:
346:
59:Moto Meuculi Creek, near Aidabasalala,
429:
394:
382:
465:
7:
647:Indonesian occupation of East Timor
334:Oddy was subsequently awarded the
225:International Force for East Timor
14:
219:(SASR) operating as part of the
211:and a six-man Australian covert
159:
147:
128:
118:
99:
86:
32:
575:Coulthard-Clark, Chris (2001).
539:Lague, David (25 March 2000).
1:
217:Special Air Service Regiment
657:October 1999 events in Asia
652:Battles involving Australia
673:
546:The Sydney Morning Herald
205:1999 East Timorese crisis
182:
169:
140:
111:
79:
42:
31:
26:1999 East Timorese Crisis
23:
501:Fennell, Keith (2009).
106:Pro-Indonesian militias
520:Horner, David (2002).
482:Farrell, John (2000).
209:pro-Indonesian militia
201:Battle of Aidabasalala
112:Commanders and leaders
19:Battle of Aidabasalala
613:8.87278°S 125.18000°E
486:. Rocklea: Fullbore.
444:, pp. 27 and 57.
282:M203 grenade launcher
183:Casualties and losses
522:SAS: Phantoms of War
251:Special Boat Service
618:-8.87278; 125.18000
609: /
397:, pp. 506–507.
336:Medal for Gallantry
642:1999 in East Timor
71:Australian victory
637:Conflicts in 1999
409:, pp. 56–57.
373:, pp. 54–98.
197:
196:
75:
74:
664:
624:
623:
621:
620:
619:
614:
610:
607:
606:
605:
602:
590:
562:
560:
558:
535:
516:
497:
469:
463:
457:
451:
445:
439:
433:
427:
410:
404:
398:
392:
386:
380:
374:
368:
269:observation post
215:patrol from the
164:
163:
152:
151:
133:
132:
131:
123:
122:
104:
103:
92:
90:
89:
44:
43:
36:
16:
672:
671:
667:
666:
665:
663:
662:
661:
627:
626:
617:
615:
611:
608:
603:
600:
598:
596:
595:
593:
587:
574:
570:
568:Further reading
565:
556:
554:
538:
532:
519:
513:
500:
494:
481:
477:
472:
464:
460:
452:
448:
440:
436:
428:
413:
405:
401:
393:
389:
381:
377:
369:
348:
344:
305:
264:
242:
234:S-70 Black Hawk
192:
158:
146:
135:Eurico Guterres
129:
127:
117:
98:
87:
85:
63:
50:16 October 1999
37:
12:
11:
5:
670:
668:
660:
659:
654:
649:
644:
639:
629:
628:
592:
591:
585:
571:
569:
566:
564:
563:
553:on 6 July 2011
536:
530:
517:
511:
498:
492:
478:
476:
473:
471:
470:
458:
446:
434:
432:, p. 508.
411:
399:
387:
385:, p. 506.
375:
345:
343:
340:
304:
301:
263:
260:
241:
238:
221:United Nations
213:reconnaissance
195:
194:
189:
185:
184:
180:
179:
176:
172:
171:
167:
166:
156:
143:
142:
141:Units involved
138:
137:
125:
114:
113:
109:
108:
96:
82:
81:
77:
76:
73:
72:
69:
65:
64:
58:
56:
52:
51:
48:
40:
39:
29:
28:
21:
20:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
669:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
634:
632:
625:
622:
588:
586:1-86508-634-7
582:
578:
573:
572:
567:
552:
548:
547:
542:
537:
533:
531:1-86508-647-9
527:
523:
518:
514:
512:9781863256711
508:
504:
499:
495:
493:0-646-39424-X
489:
485:
480:
479:
474:
467:
462:
459:
456:, p. 57.
455:
450:
447:
443:
438:
435:
431:
426:
424:
422:
420:
418:
416:
412:
408:
403:
400:
396:
391:
388:
384:
379:
376:
372:
367:
365:
363:
361:
359:
357:
355:
353:
351:
347:
341:
339:
337:
332:
330:
326:
322:
317:
315:
311:
302:
300:
296:
294:
289:
285:
283:
279:
275:
270:
261:
259:
256:
252:
248:
239:
237:
235:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
202:
190:
187:
186:
181:
177:
174:
173:
168:
162:
157:
155:
150:
145:
144:
139:
136:
126:
121:
116:
115:
110:
107:
102:
97:
95:
84:
83:
78:
70:
67:
66:
62:
57:
54:
53:
49:
46:
45:
41:
35:
30:
27:
22:
17:
594:
576:
555:. Retrieved
551:the original
544:
521:
502:
483:
468:, p. 1.
461:
454:Farrell 2000
449:
442:Farrell 2000
437:
407:Farrell 2000
402:
390:
378:
371:Fennell 2009
333:
318:
306:
297:
290:
286:
265:
243:
236:helicopter.
200:
198:
175:6 man patrol
80:Belligerents
24:Part of the
616: /
604:125°10′48″E
430:Horner 2002
395:Horner 2002
383:Horner 2002
310:F-89 Minimi
255:Para Minimi
124:Steven Oddy
631:Categories
475:References
466:Lague 2000
278:M4 Carbine
258:detected.
229:West Timor
223:-mandated
61:East Timor
601:8°52′22″S
303:Aftermath
193:3 wounded
94:Australia
325:Falintil
321:Kopassus
247:squadron
207:between
191:5 killed
170:Strength
55:Location
329:Atambua
274:lantana
240:Prelude
178:~60 men
165:Unknown
583:
557:8 July
528:
509:
490:
262:Battle
91:
68:Result
342:Notes
581:ISBN
559:2009
526:ISBN
507:ISBN
488:ISBN
293:Dili
199:The
188:None
154:SASR
47:Date
633::
543:.
414:^
349:^
589:.
561:.
534:.
515:.
496:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
