KABUL, November 23 (Online): Australia is considering sending another 200 soldiers - mainly engineers - early next year. It has 180 Special Air Services commandos in Afghanistan as part of a US-led coalition.
This was announced by Australian Prime Minister John Howard during his visit to Afghanistan for the first time on Monday in an unannounced trip.
Howard met Australian soldiers fighting Taliban and Al-Qaida militants in the country’s south, and held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Australia has 180 Special Air Services commandos in Afghanistan as part of a US-led coalition. It’s considering sending another 200 soldiers - mainly engineers - early next year. At a news conference in Kabul after the two leaders met, Howard said he hadn’t yet decided whether to deploy the extra forces.
He also paid tribute to the commandos, saying he was impressed by their "good heart, the professionalism and the commitment of the Australian forces I met today".
Security in Afghanistan has dramatically worsened this year, leaving almost 1,500 people dead and many remote areas too dangerous for aid workers to venture into alone. The violence is the deadliest since US, Australian and other foreign forces ousted the Taliban in 2001, although Howard maintains his country remains committed to Afghanistan. "We are with you in the fight against terrorism and we remain committed with our coalition partners to contributing to the strengthening of your country", Howard said.
He compared Afghanistan to Iraq, saying that both countries needed strong security forces and intelligence agencies to counter rebel violence. "The best thing that Australia can do in both Afghanistan and Iraq is to stand till the missions that we went today’s two countries to involve ourselves in are complete", Howard continued. Karzai said he would "very happy" if Australia deployed the extra troops, but he gratefully acknowledged the presence of the soldiers already there. "The Afghan people are immensely grateful for Australian sons and daughters to come all the way, thousands of miles away from their homes, to serve in Afghanistan," he said. He stressed the troops were fighting for a joint cause.
"Stability in Afghanistan will eventually be stability and peace in Australia, as it will be stability and peace in the rest of the world," he said. Following the news conference, Howard flew to Pakistan for talks with Pakistani leaders and to offer more aid for survivors of last month’s devastating earthquake.
Meanwhile, as part of change in tactic to exert pressure on Taliban-led militants, the US military in Afghanistan has decided to keep on presence in the rugged terrain areas through winter, spokesman of the US-led coalition troops said Monday.
"In the past in very remote areas such as Deh Rawad, Kunar and Nooristan there were no forces throughout the winter. It is not true this winter. This winter we have established ANA (Afghan National Army) and US forces in these area and they would be there throughout the winter," James Yonts told journalists at a press briefing.
The diction is taking place amid increasing militancy and suicide attacks in parts of the post-Taliban nation including the capital city Kabul as three explosions claimed the lives of two soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) and injured four others last week here.
Presence of Afghan and US troops in the far-flanged rugged terrain areas throughout the winter, the spokesman stressed, would prevent anti-government militants to conduct activities.
"In these key areas, the US forces and ANA forces have established camps and they would be supplied and reinforced throughout the winter to continue activities such as mop up and aggressive patrol in these areas," the US army Colonel emphasized.
He also was of the view that mounting pressure on Taliban had forced the group to change their tactics and resort to suicide attacks.
The US military spokesman was also confident that the militants would be rooted out from the country.
"Our forces alongside the ANA are taking the fight to the enemy throughout this area. We are blocking mountainous paths, preventing the enemy from accumulating weapons and denying them sanctuary," Yonts noted.
Kunar, Nooristan and Deh Rawad in Uruzgan, the home province of Taliban’s chief Mullah Mohammad Omar, has been the scene of increasing insurgency for the last several months.
Taliban-led insurgency has claimed the lives of over 1,500 with majority of them, according to officials, are rebels and over 70 US soldiers have also been killed so far this year.
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