A member of the Special Operations Task Group takes a sight picture of enemy positions from the relative safety of a compound in northern Gizab

Mid Caption The Taliban has been ousted from a northern Oruzgan town and local government has been restored thanks to a community uprising supported by Australian Special Forces soldiers and their Afghan partner force, the Provincial Police Reserve (PPR). In the northern Oruzgan town of Gizab, ten members of the Taliban were confirmed to have been killed in a series of firefights commencing on 21 April which saw the SOTG, the PPR, and locals take on the insurgents who were intimidating the population through violence. No members of the SOTG, PPR or locals were hurt in the battle, providing a sign of hope for the people of Gizab. With community leaders and Government officials from Oruzgan taking the lead and the Australian and Afghan forces providing security and guidance over the ensuing days, a large meeting was held in the centre of the town to nominate a new Gizab District Governor, a new Chief of Police and their deputies. The groundswell of popular support from the townspeople culminated in an impromptu ceremony in the middle of the town to raise the Flag of Afghanistan. During this, Australian personnel managed to conduct an Anzac Day dawn service at Gizab.