Aussies Sending Troops to Afghanistan

It's being reported that Australian Prime Minister John Howard will soon confirm that a new deployment of troops are going to Afghanistan.

The size of the deployment is uncertain but defence experts say it could range from a couple of dozen military to more than 1,000 troops.

Neil James, executive director of the Australia Defence Association, says the exact size of the deployment will depend on exactly what is needed in Afghanistan.

"What we can be fairly certain of is that it's going to be a different type of force to (the light infantry and light armour forces) we've got in Iraq because the capability we've got in Iraq is reasonably fully stretched," he said.

I usually don't give much credence to assertions regarding military strength that don't come directly from the military and, even then, I'm skeptical.

As would be expected, Howard's political opponents are against sending troops. The Australian Green Party as an example is strongly opposed to any military action that isn't directed by the UN.