2006 Dutch / Australian Offensive The 2006 Dutch - Australian offensive was a military operation carried out in Afghanistan by a combined force of Dutch and Australian troops that commenced in late April 2006 and concluded on 16 July 2006 . The force entered the Taliban - controlled Chora District and Balochistan region , both of which are located north - east of the provincial capital , Tarin Kowt . The offensive ' s goal was to protect Tarin Kowt , the site of a soon - to - be base , from a potential Taliban attack . Battle . Surk Murgab . The first action of the offensive occurred in late April , when Lieutenant Marco Kroon led a platoon consisting of twenty - nine Dutch troops from " Taskforce Viper " , alongside twenty - nine Australian SAS soldiers , into the village of Surk Murgab ( from Tarin Kowt ) . With the objective to ascertain the presence of an enemy force , the coalition troops entered the village . Upon their arrival they encountered intense fire . Threatened with being pinned down by the weight of the fire and unable to move , the contingent was forced to call in air support to enable them to break contact and withdraw . A second attempt to secure the village was initiated four days later and , again , heavy fire forced the coalition force to withdraw . An Australian vehicle was unable to leave ( the exact cause in unclear ) and was a target for the Taliban . Using an armed diversion , the Dutch managed to distract the insurgents long enough to allow the Australians to repair their vehicle and pull back . As a result of these setbacks , the initial actions of the operation proved unfruitful in driving off the Taliban presence from the Surk Murgab . Chora Valley . The Dutch - Australian offensive moved north into the Chora Valley a month later . While moving through an open area devoid of cover , the joint force came under attack by the Taliban , who fired at them with mortars , RPGs and 107 - millimetre rockets . At a tactical disadvantage , Kroon decided to call a halt to the advance , but the Australians , having suffered a casualty , were unable to break contact immediately and the Dutch troops were forced to move forward again to help them . Acting once again as a decoy force , the Dutch drew the attention of the Taliban while the Australians evacuated their wounded soldier . In response , the Taliban focused their fire more intensely upon the Dutch . The fire was of such weight that the Australians later claimed that at the time " they had not thought Kroon ' s platoon would make it " . The Dutch force were nevertheless able to make good their withdrawal and two weeks later the coalition troops re - entered the Chora Valley . As per their previous attempt , the Taliban reacted strongly and the Australian SAS members were soon placed under intense fire . Kroon sought to aid the Australian contingent , but the vehicle he was traveling in rolled over due to the rough terrain ; the crew inside the upturned vehicle only narrowly escaped the mortars and shells that subsequently exploded in close proximity as the Taliban targeted their stricken vehicle . As the Australians and Dutch attempted to interrupt a Taliban supply route , they were attacked again at short range in country that provided good cover for ambush es . Attempting to extricate his men from the trap , Kroon led them in a dangerous passage of lines manouevre that took them through the Australian positions , where the SAS troopers were returning fire . Moving back to higher ground , one of the Dutch vehicles was hit by an RPG , but it was able to continue on . The coalition force then established itself in a defensive position in preparation for further attacks ; these came throughout the course of eight hours as , amidst 50 degree Celsius heat , they fought off the Taliban . By the end of the fighting a total of 13 Taliban soldiers had been killed . Operation Perth and Operation Chitag . In mid - July , the Australians launched Operation Perth in an effort to remove the Taliban presence from the Chora Valley . As a part of this offensive , the Dutch were again involved , launching their own operation known as Operation Chitag . The operations occurred as part of a multi - national coalition operation to clear the Chora Valley , north - east of Tarin Kowt , involving more than 500 troops from six nations . Units involved included elements of the 4th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment and the Special Air Service Regiment and the Netherlands Korps Commandotroepen . Heavy fighting with Taliban insurgents resulted , and during the intense combat the Australians fought their way through the valley , clearing it in a series of synchronised and closely coordinated operations . Despite meeting stiff resistance from several hundred insurgents , the operation was ultimately successful with the Taliban sustaining heavy casualties and eventually fleeing the valley . On the night of 12 / 13 July , a combined Dutch and Australian force , became surrounded by a larger Taliban force during an engagement north - east of Tarin Kowt . Running low on ammunition , their situation became desperate and air support from a US Air Force AC - 130 gunship was called in . Armed with a " 105 - millimetre howitzer , 40 - millimetre cannon and Gatling guns " , the aircraft could deliver intense indirect fire support that could regain the initiative for the coalition troops and push the Taliban back from their position . By the time the gunship arrived over battle , the Taliban had advanced to within of the coalition position . Despite the risk of collateral damage , Kroon proceeded to call down the gunship ' s fire . The incident was later described in an official Dutch report . " The air around the two platoons was thick with shrapnel but the 40 - millimetre and 105 - millimetre shells launched by the aircraft had a devastating effect on the Taliban " . Following the fighting , the Dutch and Australian units were able to continue their advance over the next four days , before the operation was successfully concluded . One Dutch soldier was killed during the offensive and at least 13 coalition soldiers were wounded , including six Australians . Aftermath . The joint offensive in the Chora and Baluchi areas was deemed a great success by the Dutch . Despite initial set backs , the " pass entering the valley was opened " and the coalition forces were eventually able to gain freedom of movement throughout the area . Casualties on the coalition side were light , with only one coalition soldier being killed and another being wounded ; Taliban casualties were estimated by an official Dutch report as being " up to 300 killed " . For his actions during the offensive , Kroon was later awarded the Military Order of William , the Netherlands ' highest military decoration .