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http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1159480210534&call_pageid=970599119419
Australia boosting its Afghan mission
Sep. 29, 2006. 01:00 AM
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Why Canada must review mission
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Opinion, Sept. 26.
New Democrat leader Jack Layton wrote in his article that "Australia announced it was withdrawing its entire 200-strong special forces" from Afghanistan.
This is not an accurate representation of the Australian government's position. Australia is in fact doubling its forces in Afghanistan but changing them from special forces to a reconstruction task force.
They will be located in southern Afghanistan, in Oruzgan province, which is beside Kandahar where the Canadian troops are.
Australia strongly supports the international effort in Afghanistan, including the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is deploying to southern Afghanistan as part of its planned ISAF Stage III expansion.
As the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, said in Halifax last week, Australia (and the Netherlands) are increasing the troops we are putting into Afghanistan "and we are doing it in southern Afghanistan which is where the focus of activity needs to be and where the security problem predominates."
Downer said that countries like Australia and Canada could not just walk away from Afghanistan, as that would give terrorists a gigantic victory, letting the Taliban seize Afghanistan again and be able to use it as a base for terrorist operations around the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William Fisher,
Australian High Commissioner to Canada,
Ottawa
Australia boosting its Afghan mission
Sep. 29, 2006. 01:00 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Canada must review mission
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinion, Sept. 26.
New Democrat leader Jack Layton wrote in his article that "Australia announced it was withdrawing its entire 200-strong special forces" from Afghanistan.
This is not an accurate representation of the Australian government's position. Australia is in fact doubling its forces in Afghanistan but changing them from special forces to a reconstruction task force.
They will be located in southern Afghanistan, in Oruzgan province, which is beside Kandahar where the Canadian troops are.
Australia strongly supports the international effort in Afghanistan, including the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is deploying to southern Afghanistan as part of its planned ISAF Stage III expansion.
As the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, said in Halifax last week, Australia (and the Netherlands) are increasing the troops we are putting into Afghanistan "and we are doing it in southern Afghanistan which is where the focus of activity needs to be and where the security problem predominates."
Downer said that countries like Australia and Canada could not just walk away from Afghanistan, as that would give terrorists a gigantic victory, letting the Taliban seize Afghanistan again and be able to use it as a base for terrorist operations around the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William Fisher,
Australian High Commissioner to Canada,
Ottawa