Captain (Capt) Rachel Leal of 1st Intelligence Battalion gives information leaflets to local men ...

Captain (Capt) Rachel Leal of 1st Intelligence Battalion gives information leaflets to local men in the village of Kwaiafaa in northern Malaita. Capt Leal was participating in Operation Anode, Australia’s contribution to the multi-national Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Behind Capt Leal is Sapper Graham Ellis, of 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, and his Explosive Detection Dog (EDD), Bailey. The primary role of the dog teams was to detect illegal small arms caches; they were also used to support police search activities and for public awareness demonstrations. Prior to RAMSI’s intervention, the north of Malaita had been troubled by the violent activities of militants such as the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF), established in response to tensions between Malaitans and indigenous inhabitants of Guadalcanal on the island of Guadalcanal. Following the arrival of RAMSI forces, the MEF agreed to surrender weapons on 15 August 2003. Three police posts were established in trouble spots in Malaita, with military support provided by a multi-national force. The MEF leader, Jimmy ‘Rasta’ Lusibaea, was arrested on 15 October 2003.