Australia to double its troops in Afghanistan

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http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/04/09/australia-afghan.html

Australia plans to nearly double its military deployment to Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Howard said Tuesday.

The Australian Defence Force will add the 400 troops to its contingent of 550 currently in Afghanistan by mid-2007. It will add another 50 by the middle of 2008, bringing the deployment to about 1,000 soldiers, Howard told reporters.

Howard, a staunch U.S. ally on the war on terrorism, would not rule out sending more than 1,000 troops should the need arise.

He said the troops will be sent to Oruzgan province, where a 200-member special forces task group operated for a year, through September.

"Their role will be to enhance provincial security by disrupting Taliban command and control supply routes and they will directly support the Australian reconstruction task force," he said.

Howard said there had been extensive discussions between the Australian defence chief and his counterparts in the United States, Britain and the Netherlands.

http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=41998

Australia plans to double its troop numbers in Afghanistan by next year amid warnings that the Taleban insurgency shows no sign of weakening.
Prime Minister John Howard said without an extra effort, the fight against the militants would not be won. He warned the country to prepare for casualties.

Six Canadian soldiers died at the weekend in the worst single incident for the Nato-led force since 2005.

Australia currently has some 550 soldiers in Afghanistan. Howard said the extra troops would include 300 Special Forces.

http://voanews.com/english/2007-04-10-voa5.cfm

Australia is to nearly double its military presence in Afghanistan. Prime Minister John Howard says one thousand troops will be deployed there by next year. Three hundred elite Special Forces commandos will soon be sent to Afghanistan's Oruzghan province. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Prime Minister John Howard says the move to boost Australia's military muscle in Afghanistan is a response to the worsening security situation.

Special Forces commandos will be at the sharp end of efforts to combat violence by Taleban fighters. The elite units are returning to Afghanistan after being withdrawn toward the end of last year.