Keeping the peace: stories of Australian peacekeepers - Australians in East Timor
- Indonesia, East Timor and the United Nations
- Australians in East Timor
The Australian-led multinational force in East Timor, Interfet, began landing on 20 September 1999. The troops' first task was to secure the airport and the port. Over the next few days they extended their control over the capital, Dili, before moving into the countryside.
Everywhere the soldiers could see signs of the destruction wreaked by pro-Indonesian militia. At first there were few local people: most had fled to the hills for safety. As the situation improved, the population steadily returned. The Indonesian army, with which relationships were at times strained, completed its withdrawal in late October. The militia which had terrorised the civilian population generally kept quiet, unwilling to engage a well-armed military force.
Apart from Dili, the Australians operated especially in the border area with West Timor and in the Oecussi enclave, patrolling constantly to ensure that the militia could do no further harm.
Interfet was highly successful in creating conditions in which the East Timorese people could begin to rebuild. In February 2000, responsibility for security was handed over to a United Nations operation, with which many Australian troops are still serving.
Major General Peter Cosgrove
The Australian commander of Interfet, Major General Peter Cosgrove, attained a public prominence never achieved by a military figure in Australia since the Second World War.
As a young infantry officer, Cosgrove commanded a rifle platoon in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Military Cross. The Timor crisis in 1999 found Cosgrove as Commander of the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, whose task is to facilitate rapid deployment of forces in cases of emergency. This headquarters formed the basis of Headquarters Interfet, and Cosgrove became Interfet's commander. At its peak, Cosgrove's force totalled 9,908 personnel, from 22 countries.
Since returning from East Timor, Cosgrove has been promoted Lieutenant General and appointed Chief of the Army.
