Heavy fighting continued around Ioribaiwa for the following week, before the Australians were again forced back, this time to Imita Ridge. By 17 September the Japanese were almost in sight of Port Moresby itself. However, following a heavy defeat at Guadalcanal, Horii was ordered onto the defensive and this proved to be the limit of the Japanese advance. By mid-September the PIB was withdrawn from the front, and moved back to Sogeri near Port Moresby for respite and to re-equip. A small detachment of two Australian sergeants and six Papuans remained at Uberi Village at the southern end of the Kokoda Track, from where they carried out patrols under the command of the 25th Brigade. The Japanese began to withdraw from Kokoda on 24 September to establish a defensive position on the north coast, but were closely followed by the Australians who recaptured Kokoda on 2 November. Further fighting continued into November and December as Australian and US forces assaulted the Japanese beachheads, in what later became known as the Battle of Buna–Gona. After some of the costliest fighting of the war for the Australians, Gona was recaptured on 9 December 1942, and Buna on 3 January 1943. The Japanese began to abandon Sanananda on 13 January following an unsuccessful Australian assault the day before, while mopping up operations were completed on 22 January.