Posted on 07/22/2006 8:37:24 PM PDT by naturalman1975
AUSTRALIA is likely to send more troops to Afghanistan to protect engineers about to be deployed to that country, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says.
Dr Nelson said the Special Operations Task Group already in Afghanistan, which includes elite Special Air Service soldiers, will come home as planned at the end of September.
But the minister said worsening security in southern Afghanistan may require extra protection for the reconstruction taskforce Australia was about to send to the country.
"The threat level and the risks in Afghanistan have been increasing substantially over the last few months," Dr Nelson said on Channel 9.
"I've been watching it very closely, I'm very concerned about it, and in fact I have been discussing with the leadership of the Australian defence force the nature and the size of our deployment to Afghanistan.
"I think there is an argument for us increasing the close ground force protection of our reconstruction taskforce.
"That's a matter that I'll be putting toward the Prime Minister and my colleagues."
The Provincial Reconstruction Team of 240 soldiers is due to head to Afghanistan later this month.
Half of the taskforce will be tradespeople and engineers, with the remainder an infantry protection unit.
Dr Nelson said it was likely the size of the protection contingent would increase.
"I think we will, and we need to make sure that every effort is made to see that our troops are as safe as they can be in what is a task which is as important as it is dangerous," he said.
"Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, fighting al-Qaeda and others through other parts of the world is extremely important to the next generation of Australians to see that they are not left hostage to a force of ideological insanity that they may never control."
Australian soldiers suffered minor injuries during a gun battle in southern Afghanistan last week, with three evacuated for medical treatment.
Australia currently has 300 troops in Afghanistan, with SAS soldiers recently exchanging fire with anti-government forces in Oruzgan province.
Defence force chief Angus Houston warned in February of a rising incidence of suicide bombings in the country.
Last week, Afghan and US-led coalition soldiers reclaimed two southern towns that had been overrun by the Taliban, with hundreds of troops involved in the operation.
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