|
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia does not plan to contribute to a potential increase in troop numbers in Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard said Friday.
"I don't have any plans at present to increase Australia's troop commitment, nor do I have any plans to reduce it," Howard told the Nine Network television.
Australia sent 2,000 troops to back American and British forces in the 2003 Iraq invasion. It now has about 600 troops inside Iraq, 450 of whom are providing support for Iraqi security forces in two southern provinces. The remainder are guarding Australian diplomats in Baghdad, training Iraqi troops or disarming explosives.
|