Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith says Australia will not be sending extra troops to Afghanistan to replace the Dutch troops to leave the country in August.
There are currently just under one thousand Australian soldiers in Uruzgan. The Australian minister says he has much respect for the contribution of the Dutch troops in Uruzgan. “But if they leave, we will have to tell NATO that Australia is not capable of assuming leadership in Uruzgan”, Mr Smith said.
The governor of Uruzgan fears the departure of the Dutch troops will have a detrimental effect on his province. "We would like the Dutch to stay, as the Afghan army is not yet strong enough to oust the Taliban", he said.
As next year the Canadian mission will also come to an end, it is feared that Taliban insurgents from the neighbouring province of Helmand will come cross the border and enter Uruzgan.
Following the collapse of the Dutch government, the Dutch mission in Uruzgan will not be prolonged.
Dutch troops in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, Feb 2007
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