Australia to send 450 more troops to Afghanistan
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia announced Wednesday it will increase by almost one half its troops in Afghanistan to about 1,550 as part of the U.S.-led surge of international forces to bolster the faltering fight against Taliban insurgents.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has mostly played down prospects of increasing Australia’s commitment against Afghan insurgents since taking office in 2007, said he had been persuaded to increase the deployment during discussions last week with President Barack Obama.
The deployment of 450 new forces is Rudd’s first new military commitment to the Afghan war, and gives him a political stake in the outcome at a time when Australian public opinion has dipped following a string of combat deaths.
The new troops would mostly focus on training the Afghan National Army in the southern province of Uruzgan and will include a temporary eight-month deployment of 120 soldiers to enhance security around the August elections, Rudd said.
“As I make these further commitments today, I am acutely conscious of the fact that I am placing more Australians in harm’s way and I fear that more Australians will lose their lives in the fight that lies ahead,” Rudd said.
Ten Australians have already been killed in the conflict, four of them since November last year.
Australia is the biggest contributor to the U.S.-led coalition outside NATO.
Rudd has long called for other NATO partners to do more before Australia would consider increasing its commitment.
He noted Wednesday that Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain had all agreed to send more troops since Obama this year ordered 21,000 new U.S. troops to Afghanistan to bolster the record 38,000 already there.
Rudd acknowledged that the war was becoming less popular among Australians, but said Afghanistan must not be allowed to once again become a haven and training ground for international terrorists.
“Australia concurs with the United States that the current civilian and military strategy is not working,” Rudd said. “If anything, security in Afghanistan is deteriorating.”
Related News
UK's Brown hopes to reduce British troop numbers in Afghanistan, amid calls to send moreSeptember 22nd, 2009 UK's Brown seeks fewer UK troops in AfghanistanLONDON — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday he was focused on cutting back on the number of the country's troops in Afghanistan, despite a report from the top U.S. commander calling for an increase in the number of soldiers.
US military chief calls for more troops in AfghanistanSeptember 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States will likely need to send more troops to Afghanistan, the US' top military commander said Tuesday. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that more US troops are needed to train Afghan forces to maintain security.
Sen. Levin says US should focus on strengthening Afghan army, police before adding more troopsSeptember 4th, 2009 Sen. Levin says US should strengthen Afghan armyWASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday the United States should focus its efforts on building up the Afghan army and police before considering an increase in combat troops in Afghanistan. Sen. Carl Levin, returning from a trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, said there was a growing consensus on the need to expedite the training and equipping of the Afghan army to improve security in Afghanistan, where 51 U.S.
Rep. Levin says US should focus on strengthening Afghan army, police before adding more troopsSeptember 4th, 2009 Rep. Levin says US should strengthen Afghan armyWASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the United States should focus on building up the Afghan army and police before considering an increase in combat troops. Sen. Carl Levin met with the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen.
Australia considers procedural changes after soldiers shoot 2 Afghan policeAugust 28th, 2009 Australia mulls changes after 2 Afghan police shotCANBERRA, Australia — The Defense Department will consider changing check point procedures in Afghanistan after Australian soldiers shot two Afghan police officers, one fatally, an army general said Friday. An internal inquiry into the shootings on Aug.
US Marines to arrive in Georgia to help train its troops for mission in AfghanistanAugust 14th, 2009 US Marines to help train Georgian troopsTBILISI, Georgia — A group of U.S. Marines will arrive in Georgia to help train its troops for a mission alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan, the U.S.
McCain says additional troops may be needed in Afghanistan, waits for commanders' assessmentAugust 2nd, 2009 McCain says US may need more troops in AfghanistanWASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain says it appears that the U.S.
Britain's opposition leader says there's a 'very strong case' for more soldiers in AfghanistanAugust 2nd, 2009 Cameron: strong case for more troops to AfghanLONDON — There is a very strong case for sending more U.K. soldiers to Afghanistan, British opposition leader David Cameron said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Obama says he will reassess US troop levels in Afghanistan after August electionsJuly 2nd, 2009 Obama to reassess US troop levels in AfghanistanWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama tells The Associated Press that he will reassess the possible need for additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the Afghan national elections in August.
US says 15 militants killed in fighting in southern AfghanistanMay 1st, 2009 US: 15 militants killed in Afghan clashKABUL — International and Afghan forces killed 15 militants in southern Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. military said.
Oz PM to send 450 troopers to beef up Afghan securityApril 29th, 2009 CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that his government will send 450 extra troops to beef up security in troubled Afghanistan. However, there will be no combat troops among the latest contingent.
Prime minister says Australia will send 280 more troops to AfghanistanApril 29th, 2009 Australia to send 280 more troops to AfghanistanCANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says Australia will send 280 additional troops to Afghanistan, increasing the overall Australian deployment there to about 1,380. It is the first increase by Australia — the biggest contributor to the U.S.-led coalition outside NATO — since Rudd took office in 2007.
'Aussie troops will spend a decade in Afghanistan to fight Taliban'March 29th, 2009 CANBERRA - Australian troops engaged in the war against Taliban may have to spend almost a decade in Afghanistan, an expert has claimed. Clive Williams, Australian National University's Visiting Professor on Defense Studies, said the fight with the Taliban would continue while US-aligned troops train the Afghan Army.
Two thousand British troops ready for Afghanistan duty: General DannattMarch 27th, 2009 LONDON - British Army Chief General Sir Richard Dannatt is ready to send 2,000 troops to Afghanistan, increasing soldiers strength to 10,000. General Dannatt fears that the US-led mission will struggle without significant reinforcements and is waiting British Cabinet approval to send additional troops to Afghanistan.
NATO willing to commit more troops to Afghanistan: GatesFebruary 22nd, 2009 WARSAW - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that nearly 20 NATO countries are ready to send more troops to Afghanistan to help the government in fighting insurgency. At least 20 countries announced at one point or another that they would be increasing their contribution in Afghanistan, Gates told a press conference after a two-day NATO meeting in Krakow in Poland Friday.
Loading ...