Australia Pledges $300M Devt Assistance for Afghan Army
Australia's Afghan Mission will definitely end by 2014, according to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, but the country will continue to honour it commitment of supporting stability in Afghanistan.
Even as Diggers should be out of the war-torn country over the next two years, Ms Gillard said Canberra "will maintain a substantial development assistance program beyond 2014."
The prime minister and Defence Minister Stephen Smith revealed on Wednesday that beginning on 2015, Australia will contribute $100 million over the next three years that will fund the continued development of the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF).
"This will help sustain progress made in the delivery of basic services such as education and health to the people of Afghanistan," Ms Gillard and Mr Smith said in a statement.
"In addition to ANSF funding, we will help train and mentor the Afghan National Army and police," the Australian officials stressed.
The Australian commitment, Ms Gillard said, will be presented this weekend when NATO and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) meet for a scheduled summit that expectedly will map out the strategies that would follow the U.S.' and NATO's complete withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The pull out will come following more than a decade of fighting that resulted to the deaths more than 2,000 coalition troops, which include Australian service members.
The $300 million earmarked for the ANSF development will come on top of the $200 million ANSF Trust Fund that Australia has committed in 2008, leaving a total of $500 million that Canberra will spend even as most Diggers will commence departing from Afghanistan by 2013.
"To consolidate and build on the security gains of the transition strategy, the ANSF will need ongoing funding and training and mentoring support," Canberra said.
"Australia has a vital national interest in supporting Afghanistan's stability and security after transition. Our commitment to ANSF funding reflects these enduring national interests," Ms Gillard said.
She added that as planned by the Defence Ministry, the ANSF "will have responsibility for its own security by the end of 2014," which should mean that the 1,550 Australian troops currently serving in Afghanistan and mostly stationed in Uruzgan province will be sent home with little chances of delay.
According to The Australian, Ms Gillard will meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Chicago during the NATO-ISAF summit, where the latter will formally accept the financing commitment.
As hinted earlier, Canberra will not rule out further participation of Australian forces in enhancing the security of Afghanistan, which could include future deployment of the country's Special Forces units, Ms Gillard said.