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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Prime Minister John Howard conceded Wednesday that keeping Australian troops in Iraq could cost him re-election but said he would not abandon the United States.
A staunch Bush ally, Howard has taken a beating in polls over his refusal to bring the troops home. Australia contributed 2,000 forces to the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. About 1,400 remain in and around Iraq.
"I accept that I may be, on this issue, swimming against the tide of public opinion," Howard told Southern Cross Broadcasting radio in an interview.
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