The deployment of 300 special forces troops to the southeast of Afghanistan, near the heart of the Taliban rebellion, is part of an increased effort needed to win the war in Afghanistan, he told a media conference.

"We have done this against the background of a deterioration in the security environment in southern Afghanistan," Mr. Howard said.

... Australia will also send air force radar crews to Kandahar, extra logistics and intelligence officers, and extend the deployment of a team providing protection and security, taking Australia's deployment to about 950 by mid-year and more than 1,000 by the middle of 2008.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the Australian Defence Force Commander, said the special forces would hunt Taliban commanders. "Essentially their operations will be targeted on the Taliban, disrupting Taliban operations and going after the Taliban leadership," he said.

Mr Rudd said Afghanistan was a breeding ground for terrorists and needed to be brought under control.

"What we've got there is Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida, the original terrorists responsible for September 11," Mr Rudd said on Southern Cross radio.

"(It's also) the area which provided the training for those who engaged in the bombings in Bali, which killed nearly 100 Australians. And for those reasons it's a military campaign which we need to prosecute to the end."

Mr Rudd said Australian troops were brought out of Afghanistan too early in late 2002.

"We hadn't finished the job in Afghanistan and I think there's a real concern that because we didn't have Australian troops there then, the American troops were drawn down, that effectively Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida got off the hook and now we see them resurgent," he said.

Posted by: Kafir at 12:00 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
Post contains 426 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Just when a jihadi is starting to think he's going to have a good day....PM John Howard has to go ahead and ruin it...

Posted by: mrclark at April 11, 2007 01:12 PM (gmrUH)

2 Madness?!

THIS
IS
AUSTRALIA!

Posted by: Kevin at April 11, 2007 01:44 PM (/ndDU)

3 might need more than 300 Aussies over there now that Kyrgyzstan (75% muslim) has decided to go crazy. Everywhere there are muslims, there is trouble. OUTLAW ISLAM.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 11, 2007 02:03 PM (2J0r9)

4

King Leonidas...paging King Leonidas.

Posted by: Insomniac at April 11, 2007 02:11 PM (UYKDB)

5 Michael: This is just for you. Just reading some older posts. As to your chideing me about wb: What you didn't notice about the guy was that four times he made anti-semitic remarks. You apparently didn't pick up on it. I did. It's very irritating for a racist (me) to be called a racist by another racist (wb) So I exposed him and he got lost. More that you didn't notice. wb claimed to be a cook at first Denny's then later at Hooter's. How did Lincoln put it? No man's memory is. ha, ha. Another fact. There isn't a Denny's or Hooter's within 75 miles of Grand Isle, La. Where he claimed to live. Sometimes the bullshit has to walk. Your opinion is as good as mine. Only I believe mine is correct.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 11, 2007 02:25 PM (2J0r9)

6 Kafir,
As I understood P.M. John Howard, the total number is 500 of which 300 are special forces.


Best
-GM

Posted by: Garduneh Mehr at April 11, 2007 02:53 PM (j97MF)

7 greyrooster, is there a way to actually search old posts? Every time I use the search button in the top left, I get an error.

Posted by: wooga at April 11, 2007 03:11 PM (t9sT5)

8
is there a way to actually search old posts? Every time I use the search button in the top left, I get an error.

Try running your search through Google...append "site:mypetjawa.mu.nu" to your search term.

Posted by: salfter at April 11, 2007 04:01 PM (+Epz5)

9 Duh, thanks salfter. Somebody should really fix/delete the search bar though...

Posted by: wooga at April 11, 2007 04:08 PM (t9sT5)

10 The 300 troops the Aussies are sending should more than make up for the 200 snail eating French commandos who were pulled out of Afghanistan by Jock Strap Chirac last October.
 
Think I'll hoist a Foster's tonight in their honor.

Posted by: Ed at April 11, 2007 04:25 PM (pa4OS)

11 Can we please trade Bush for Howard..........................................
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
http://www.mp3.com.au/artist.asp?id=16834
 

Posted by: doriangrey at April 11, 2007 05:14 PM (XvkRd)

12 I think AQ needs to worry about fighting in the shade this time. Of course, since the jihadis hide behind women's skirts burkas gunny sacks, they always fight in the shade.

Posted by: Hucbald at April 12, 2007 12:52 AM (xHCIz)

13 Wooga: Just go over to the left side of screen and click the month you wish. Archives column.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 12, 2007 09:38 AM (2J0r9)

14 greyrooster I did notice wb's remarks, and the odd bit of Israel bashing, but I didn't see it as his defining attribute. Lots of times commenters will say things that are inflammatory, or expose a bias which puts them at odds with others. We have all kind commenting here. I'd rather have views presented for discussion, than drive people off.  I got something out of wb's comments even when I disagreed with, and argued against some of them. Call me wierd, but I miss quite a few of the 'offensive' commenters from the past. Many were far more interesting than John Ryan, yet he remains, while others are gone. I'm not angry with you as such, so don't take it that way when I 'chide' you.  Your opinion is as good as mine. Only I believe mine is correct.                                                    
                     USA, all the way!

Posted by: Michael Weaver at April 12, 2007 11:25 AM (2OHpj)

15 I to miss some of the offensive commenters. But I don't miss the bullshitters. wb wasn't an offensive commenter to me. But he was a bullshitter. I WILL BE THE ONLY RACIST HERE. All else must go. I will not let this blog turn into a racist blog. Invade my territory and suffer the consequences.

Posted by: greyrooster at April 15, 2007 08:26 AM (2J0r9)

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