Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Ye shall know them by their marsupials
Australian troops in Iraq are trying to stand out in the crowd:
|
The Australian commander of the Al Muthanna task group, Lieutenant Colonel Roger Noble, says Australian soldiers are making sure their vehicles are recognised by people in the southern Iraqi province.Kangaroos may appear to be cute and cuddly creatures, but they are pretty ferocious fighters, using their powerful legs to kick the enemy. They are also known to box and can run up to 40mph and jump up to 30 feet. So, a word of caution to tourists and jihadis: don't mess with a kangaroo.
In the first week of deployment in the region, Australian troops have painted large red kangaroos on the side of their armoured vehicles.
Lieutenant Colonel Noble says the people of Al Muthanna appear to think highly of Australians and have started to distinguish them from other international forces in Iraq.
"When they look at ours they look up and see a big red kangaroo, which is pretty much a universal symbol for Australia and they know who were are and what we are," he said.
|
