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Australia to send extra 450 troops to Iraq
 SYDNEY - Australia will send an additional 450 troops to Iraq to provide security for Japanese engineers helping rebuild the country's south, Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday.Howard, one of US President George W. Bush's closest allies, said Iraq was at a "tilting point" following recent elections and the coalition had to support the fledgling democracy. "The government believes that Iraq is very much at a tilting point and it's very important that the opportunity of democracy, not only in Iraq, but also in other parts of the Middle East be seized and consolidated," he told reporters. Howard said it would be "devastating" if the Iraqi democracy failed. The prime minister said the initial commitment was for a year, with two troop deployments, each spending six months in Iraq. He refused to say whether it could be expanded after that. Howard did not canvass the possibility of expanding Australia's military presence in Iraq when succesfully campaigning for re-election last October and said changing circumstances on the ground since the poll warranted the additional deployment Howard said it was a difficult decision to send extra troops and pointed out any military deployment involved the risk of casualties. "I know it will be unpopular with many people," he said.
Posted by: Steve White 2005-02-22 |
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