Australia to shut down military base in Afghan
27 March 2013 7:46 AM IST
Australia said on Tuesday it will shut down its main military base in Afghanistan, a move that will allow most of its troops to come back home by the year end as they have been in the war-torn country ‘far too long’.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith made the announcement to close down the Tarin Kot base in Uruzgan province, saying Australia has been in the strife-torn country ‘far too long’.
Majority of Australian troops in Afghanistan are expected to be back home by the end of 2013 following the closure of multi-national base at Tarin Kot, used by Australian forces.
The decision to close the base has been confirmed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), according to ABC report on Tuesday.
‘We've been there for over a decade, and that's far too long,’ Smith said in Canberra. The effect of that closure will be that Australia will no longer have a permanent presence in Uruzgan Province and the majority of Australian Defence Force personnel will return from Afghanistan to Australia.
‘Whilst there will be some movement in the numbers and while we are redeploying and repatriating both personnel and equipment, the numbers will go up and down, we expect that by the end of the year we will see at least 1,000 Australian personnel return home.’ He said there were currently 1,650 Australian personnel in Afghanistan.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith made the announcement to close down the Tarin Kot base in Uruzgan province, saying Australia has been in the strife-torn country ‘far too long’.
Majority of Australian troops in Afghanistan are expected to be back home by the end of 2013 following the closure of multi-national base at Tarin Kot, used by Australian forces.
The decision to close the base has been confirmed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), according to ABC report on Tuesday.
‘We've been there for over a decade, and that's far too long,’ Smith said in Canberra. The effect of that closure will be that Australia will no longer have a permanent presence in Uruzgan Province and the majority of Australian Defence Force personnel will return from Afghanistan to Australia.
‘Whilst there will be some movement in the numbers and while we are redeploying and repatriating both personnel and equipment, the numbers will go up and down, we expect that by the end of the year we will see at least 1,000 Australian personnel return home.’ He said there were currently 1,650 Australian personnel in Afghanistan.
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