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Subject:
smh.com.au: No extra troops for Afghanistan, minister insists
tjkhan
3/24/2008 3:55:12 PM
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No extra troops for Afghanistan, minister insists
Tom Allard National Security Editor
March 25, 2008
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THE Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, says there is no argument "whatsoever" for Australia to increase its troop commitment in Afghanistan, even after it withdraws more than 500 soldiers from southern Iraq in the middle of the year.
His comments come before next week's NATO summit, at which European and North American nations will forge a new strategy for securing Afghanistan, where the Taliban and al-Qaeda are resurgent and violence is at levels not seen since the 2001 invasion.
Both Mr Fitzgibbon and the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will attend the summit in Bucharest and have made it clear they want a substantial increase in troop contributions from NATO countries.
That, in turn, will put pressure on Australia to do likewise.
But Mr Fitzgibbon said Australia - with just over 1000 military personnel in the volatile southern province of Oruzgan - is not well placed to increase troops.
"Really, would an extra 5 or 10 per cent Australian contribution make any difference to the long-term result in Afghanistan? I don't think so," Mr Fitzgibbon told the Herald.
"As the 10th-largest contributor overall and the biggest non-NATO country, I just don't think there's an argument whatsoever for us increasing our contribution."
There has been speculation that Australia will boost its presence in Afghanistan once the 515 military personnel based at Tallil in southern Iraq return home, but Mr Fitzgibbon said the Defence Force would "remain overstretched" after their withdrawal.
Given the continuing unrest in Australia's immediate region, the Rudd Government wants more troops based here for any crises that may flare closer to home.
Even after the withdrawal from Iraq, about 1000 Australian personnel will be assisting there, including an Anzac-class frigate patrolling the Persian Gulf, C-130 and P-3 Orion aircraft and crews, and a security detachment based in Baghdad that protects Australian government officials.
As well as the 1000 Australians in Afghanistan, a similar number are deployed in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
Australian forces, unlike those of many other nations in Afghanistan, have been deployed in one of the country's most violent areas, a fact reinforced by bloody action over the weekend. A Taliban ambush of a coalition and Afghan patrol sparked a furious confrontation that resulted in up to 40 Taliban being killed from the ensuing air strikes and ground battle. It is understood no Australians were involved in the battle.
Mr Fitzgibbon said "progress is slow, at best" in Afghanistan and "in some areas we are even going backwards".
He said only a substantial increase in forces by NATO nations would make a difference, saying the 10 per cent increase foreshadowed by the NATO secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, earlier this month would almost certainly be inadequate.
There are about 43,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, plus 13,000 American personnel operating under their own command.
"I find it hard to accept that a 10 per cent, 15 per cent increase is enough," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
He added that gaining more co-operation from Pakistan, where the Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders directing the insurgency in Afghanistan are based, was critical to success.
Mr Fitzgibbon ruled out negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban's leadership, as suggested by the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, last year.
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