CANBERRA, Australia: Australia will send its 30 more military advisers to Afghanistan, raising the number of its already deployed troops in the war-torn Country to 300.
Talking to Senate lawmakers in Canberra on Monday, the Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne told that to-be-sent military advisers would be part of the assistance program being provided to the Afghan security forces since 2014. She said that like the troops already present in Afghanistan, the new contingent of Australian military personnel would also help the Afghan forces, aiming to end Taliban insurgency and bring perpetual peace.
“Given the centrality of Afghanistan in the global fight against terrorism, an enhanced Australian contribution to the resolute support mission is both timely and appropriate,” Marise Payne was quoted as saying by BBC.
The Australian defence minister also expressed hope that other Countries in the military alliance – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) whose about 13,000 troops are present in Afghanistan at the moment – would also deploy additional forces in the Country.
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier in February this year, the top US Commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson had sought deployment of more NATO troops in Afghanistan to train the Afghan security forces in fight against the Taliban.