History of the Australian Army relocated its forward operating base from Camp Smitty (outskirts of As Samawah, Al Muthanna province) to Tallil Air Base (outskirts of Nasiriyah, Dhi Qar province) effectively co-locating with the Australian Army Training Team Iraq (AATTI). Australia's contribution to operations in Southern Iraq involved combat overwatch of both Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar province, conduct of CIMIC operations and provision of support and training to the Iraqi Security Forces. After the Labor Government gained power in late 2007, most Australian forces were withdrawn from Iraq in mid-2008. History of the Australian Army The history of the Australian Army dates back to
2003 Nasiriyah bombing 2003 the Marines in Nasiriyah were replaced by members of the Carabinieri and Italian army. Italian forces in Iraq were under British command and those in Nasiriyah were some of about 3,000 total Italian servicemembers in the country, including 400 Carabinieri forces. The attack began shortly before 11:00am when a large tanker truck sped towards the entrance of the base. Iraqi troops fired at the truck in a futile attempt to stop the vehicle and at least one of the attackers fired a rifle back. Witnesses said a decoy car had preceded the truck. The tanker slammed into the gate