Aussie troops to leave Afghanistan by end of year

AUSTRALIA is to withdraw most of its troops from the south of Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Defence minister Stephen Smith also said that the multinational base at Tarin Kowt, and the NATO airfield in Uruzgan would close by the close of 2013.

Smith said: “It is a necessary and logical and natural consequence of transition being effective.

“The effect of that closure will be that Australia will no longer have a permanent presence in Uruzgan province, and the majority of Australian defence force personnel will return.”

The Australians have around 1,600 troops in the country, and have lost 39 in the war.

There has been no decision on whether Australian special forces will remain in the country after the end of the year, or even beyond the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of the majority of coalition troops from the country.