Australia to deploy more troops to Afghanistan

KABUL, taking its deployment to 300 defence personnel. Defence Minister Marise Payne announced the troop boost at a Senate hearing in Canberra.

“These additional ADF members will allow Australia to commit additional advisers to further develop the long-term capabilities of the Afghan security forces as part of our current train, advise and assist mission,” she said.

Chief of Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin told the Senate hearing: “The request we received here wasn’t for combat troops on the ground. The request was in areas that we provide very good capability, which is growing the Afghan national defence and security forces.”

The troops would build on the coalition’s air superiority in the region, predicted a former head of the Australian Army University of Canberra’s National Security Institute chief Peter Leahy

He said: “I suspect this is not special forces, it's more likely to be specialist advisers for air [support], and for enabling forces, and perhaps a few people supporting the Afghan higher command.”

“Frankly, the job's not finished. Afghanistan is on the edge and they need support and I think the approach at the moment is the Afghan National Army should be fighting for Afghanistan.”

The ex-general said the deployment of extra troops could see Australia’s longest war, which began in 2001, become a 20-year commitment.

 “We probably left too early. President Obama, he pulled out too early, he got the numbers down too low because this is about hold and build.

"This is about nation building and we need to set the conditions so that Afghanistan can feel as though it has a legitimate government.”

The ADF’s commitment to Afghanistan is due to expire in 2018 but the defence minister said it was under constant review. Since 2001, 42 Australian troops have died in Afghanistan.

nh/mud