Cut-and-run defended
The Australian Government has defended its decision to pull Australia’s 200-strong Special Forces contingent out of Afghanistan, at a time when the security situation there is deteriorating.
“We have to be careful that we don’t ask our Special Forces to carry all of the burden all of the time,” Mr Howard is quoted as saying.
Fair enough, but the NATO command in Afghanistan is desperately pleading for thousands more troops in order to contain a renewed Taliban insurgency.
So, with the security situation in Afghanistan spiralling out of control, as in Iraq, it would appear that Australia hasn’t the capacity to back up with action its expressed commitment to the ‘war on terror’.
And what’s this from the Australian Foreign Minister?
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday the Government was concerned that the situation in Afghanistan had become more dangerous since the Taliban began its offensive in the northern summer.
“It’s a very dangerous and a very difficult environment,” he said.
“The security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated in the past six months.”
Well yeah, we know. It’s a war!
So the response of the Australian Government is to ... cut and run? Is this a political decision to avoid the prospect of electorally unpalatable combat casualties? What did those ninnies in the Australian Government think they were signing-up for when, after the attacks of September 11 2001, they committed this country to unqualified support for the US-led ‘war on terror’? Did they think it would be a boy scouts’ jambouree?
As I write, there’s still no meaningful response from John Howard’s Government to the US National Intelligence Estimate assessment that the war in Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism, and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the September 11 attacks. The Prime Minister has told ABC Radio National’s The World Today that he welcomes the de-classification of parts of that National Intelligence Estimate, and will read it avidly.
I won’t hold my breath for Mr Howard to actually learn something from his reading of the document.
posted by Jacob A. Stam at 9/27/2006 03:06:00 PM
2 Comments:
I hadn't heard about that, but it is the Special Forces being pulled out.
Don't forget that the gov't has just shipped off more troops to Afganistan, and one of my cousins is due to be shipped off in Feb next year (that's no secret, the gov't has announced these things!).
Not exactly a cut and run?
The Govt recently committed a further 38 troops and 4 armoured vehicles to Iraq. Haven't heard of any further deployments to Afghanistan (please correct if wrong).
But Aus has, aside from the 200 Special Forces being pulled out, about 400-strong reconstruction force in Afgh, presumably being rotated in and out. Not clear whether they're involved in combat offensives, which is apparently what's required by NATO to check the insurgency.
Sincerely hope your cousin will be doing reconstruction rather than combat (but keep it under your hat, of course).
Jeez what a schmozz! If Coalition forces had been concentrated on the Afgh effort, instead of being stretched to save Mesopotamia ... well, never mind.
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