# Australia marks 25 years since the start of military service in Afghanistan > A joint government statement remembered more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force members who deployed in support of Afghanistan, their families, and 47 deaths recorded on the War Memorial Roll of Honour. - Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan - Publisher: Newsverum - Section: Society - Country: Australia - Published: 2026-10-11T22:13:13+00:00 - Updated: 2026-10-11T22:13:13+00:00 - Event / data period: 2026-10-11 - Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan.md) The Australian Government marked 25 years since the start of Operation Slipper, its first military contribution to the war in Afghanistan, in a joint statement released on October 11. The statement said the mission began after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and later included reconstruction, training, mentoring and humanitarian work alongside counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. The government said more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force members deployed on operations supporting Afghanistan over the following two decades. It also said 47 ADF members were listed on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour as having died during or as a result of service in Afghanistan, while recognising veterans who returned with visible and invisible wounds and the families and communities who supported them. ## Data ### Australian service in Afghanistan Service figures reported in the Australian Government’s 25th-anniversary statement. Methodology: Figures are taken from the Australian Government’s joint October 11 statement. It reports more than 35,000 ADF members deployed in support of Afghanistan over the two decades following the start of Operation Slipper; it gives no exact total. The figure 47 refers to ADF members recorded on the War Memorial Roll of Honour who died during or as a result of service in Afghanistan. | label | value | unit | period | basis | value_qualifier | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | ADF members deployed in support of Afghanistan | 35000 | count | 2026-10-11 | observed | lower-bound | | ADF members listed as dying during or as a result of Afghanistan service | 47 | count | 2026-10-11 | observed | | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan/data/afghanistan-service-counts?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan/data/afghanistan-service-counts?lang=en&format=csv) ### Commemoration date The government statement marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Slipper’s start. Methodology: The event date is the date the joint statement was released and the anniversary marked; it is not the deployment period. | date | label | description | status | |---|---|---|---| | 2026-10-11 | 25th anniversary of Operation Slipper | The Australian Government marked the beginning of its military contribution in Afghanistan in a joint statement. | occurred | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan/data/commemoration-date?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/australia-marks-25-years-of-service-in-afghanistan/data/commemoration-date?lang=en&format=csv) ## Sources - [Australian Government Ministers for Defence (joint media release)]() (Source checked: 2026-10-12; Published: 2026-10-11) --- Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)