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The International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational peacekeeping
Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
 taskforce, mandated by the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
 to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers.

The International Force for East Timor was commanded by (then) Major General
Major General (Australia)

Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the United Kingdom military rank of Major General ....
 Peter Cosgrove
Peter Cosgrove

General Peter John Cosgrove Order of Australia, Military Cross is an Australian general. He was the Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 3 July 2002 to 3 July 2005, when he retired from active service....
 of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the Armed forces responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
.

-sponsored referendum
Referendum

A referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire Constituency is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal....
 held on 30 August 1999 had shown overwhelming approval for East Timorese independence
Independence

Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
 from Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
.






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The International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational peacekeeping
Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
 taskforce, mandated by the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
 to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers.

The International Force for East Timor was commanded by (then) Major General
Major General (Australia)

Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the United Kingdom military rank of Major General ....
 Peter Cosgrove
Peter Cosgrove

General Peter John Cosgrove Order of Australia, Military Cross is an Australian general. He was the Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 3 July 2002 to 3 July 2005, when he retired from active service....
 of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the Armed forces responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
.

United Nations resolution

A UN-sponsored referendum
Referendum

A referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire Constituency is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal....
 held on 30 August 1999 had shown overwhelming approval for East Timorese independence
Independence

Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
 from Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
. After the result was announced on 4 September, violent clashes, instigated by a suspected anti-independence militia
Militia

The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service....
, sparked a humanitarian and security crisis in the region, with Xanana Gusmão
Xanana Gusmão

Kay Rala Xanana Gusm?o Order of the Freedom is a former militant who was the first President of East Timor of East Timor, serving from May 2002 to May 2007....
 calling for a UN peacekeeper force the same day.

Under international pressure to allow an international peacekeeping force, Indonesian president BJ Habibie announced on 12 September that he would do so.

On 15 September 1999, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs charged with the maintenance of international security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of war....
 expressed concern at the deteriorating situation in East Timor, and issued calling for a multinational force to restore peace and security to East Timor, to protect and support the United Nations Mission there, and to facilitate humanitarian assistance operations until such time as a United Nations peacekeeping force could be approved and deployed in the area.

Operation Warden

The INTERFET coalition forces began deploying to East Timor on 20 September 1999, led by a vanguard of nine warships, including Portuguese
Portuguese Navy

The Portuguese Navy is the Navy of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
 NRP Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama class frigate

Named in honor of the great Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the Vasco da Gama class is a class of frigates of the MEKO 200 German concept....
, British
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 HMS Glasgow
HMS Glasgow (D88)

HMS Glasgow was a Type 42 destroyer destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built at Swan Hunter Shipyard in Wallsend, Tyneside and launched on 14 April 1976 by Lady Kirstie Treacher, wife of Admiral Sir John Treacher....
 and United States
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
 USS Mobile Bay
USS Mobile Bay (CG-53)

USS Mobile Bay is a Ticonderoga class cruiser guided-missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. She is named for the naval Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War in 1864....
. Most UNAMET (United Nations Mission in East Timor) personnel, as well as Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
n military, police and administrators had already been evacuated from the region in the preceding months by the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF began in March 1912 as the Australian Flying Corps and became a fully independent Air Force in March 1921....
 and other allied air forces, including the Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force

The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air force of the Military of New Zealand. It was formed from New Zealand components of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the end of the 1940s....
.

The arrival of thousands of international troops in East Timor caused the militia to flee across the border into Indonesia. Sporadic cross-border raids by the militia against INTERFET forces, particularly in the southern border held by the New Zealand Army
New Zealand Army

New Zealand Army , is the land armed force of the Military of New Zealand and comprises around 4,500 regular personnel and 2,500 non-regulars and civilians....
, led to suspicion that the militia had the tacit support of the Indonesian military.

Five months later, on 28 February 2000, INTERFET handed over command of military operations to UNTAET (United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor provided an interim civil administration and a peacekeeping mission in the territory of East Timor, from its establishment on October 25, 1999 until its independence on May 20, 2002 following the outcome of the East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum....
).

Countries contributing to INTERFET

Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 provided the largest contingent of troops, hardware and equipment for the INTERFET operation, followed by New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
.

Other countries to contribute were (in alphabetical order), Bangladesh
Bangladesh

, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
, Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
, Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, Portugal
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
, Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
, South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
, Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, United States of America.

See also

  • East Timor
    East Timor

    East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro Island and Jaco , and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor....
  • United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
    United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

    The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor provided an interim civil administration and a peacekeeping mission in the territory of East Timor, from its establishment on October 25, 1999 until its independence on May 20, 2002 following the outcome of the East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum....
     (UNTAET)
  • United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor
    United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor

    The United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor was established on 20 May 2002, the same day which East Timor became an internationally recognized independent state and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor came to an end....
     (UNMISET)
  • Answered by Fire
    Answered by Fire

    Answered by Fire is a two-part mini-series based on the 1999 East Timor conflicts that led to East Timor's independence. It stars David Wenham, Isabelle Blais, and Alex Tilman....
    , a 2006 television drama concerning the crisis which led to the INTERFET mission.


Further reading


External links

  • , archived on the Pandora Archive
    Pandora Archive

    PANDORA - Australia's Web Archive is the national Web archiving for the preservation of Australia's online publications. It was established by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and is now built in collaboration with a number of other Australian state libraries and cultural collecting organisations, including the Australian Institute...
     on 7 November 2000
  • , 15 September 1999