Posted on 02/21/2005 6:42:58 PM PST by naturalman1975
AUSTRALIA will send a new taskforce to Iraq to help with the rebuilding process in the war-torn country, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
Mr Howard said the taskforce would work alongside Japanese forces rebuilding roads and schools in southern Iraq.
The taskforce will also help train Iraqi security forces.
Mr Howard said the rebuilding process was even more essential following the elections in Iraq last month.
"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.
The task force, which will also help train new Iraqi security forces, will cost up to $300 million a year to run.
Mr Howard said the deployment "involves the risk of casualties" but added the region they were being sent was reasonably secure.
"The province has, relatively speaking, been free from violence," Mr Howard said.
The Prime Minister said in a surprise press conference this afternoon in Canberra that talks had been under way with the British and Japanese governments for several weeks about increasing Australia's troop levels.
Mr Howard said the trigger for today's announcement was the recent decision by the Netherlands to withdraw its 1400 troops which had been active in the area over the past two years.
"The view was therefore taken that unless additional security could be provided to replace the Dutch, then there was a real possibility that the Japanese would no longer remain there.
"And that would have been a very serious blow to the coalition effort."
The bulk of the troops would be taken from the Darwin brigade and would take around 10 weeks before troops were ready for deployment.
Their primary task will be providing security for the Japanese engineering and support forces doing humanitarian work in the Al Mutthanna province.
"The first (task) will be to provide a secure environment for the Japanese engineering and support forces which are making a valuable humanitarian contribution to the rebuilding process," Mr Howard said.
"The task group will also be involved importantly in the further training of Iraqi security forces.
"That training is essential to the Iraqis in the future being able to take over the internal and external defence of their country."
New taskforce will be about 450 troops in size, increasing the size of Australia's current theatre commitment (around 900) by around 50%.
Applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause...applause.
Aussie's are awesome. True friends.
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