Ok, Ozzies, whatcha think about this?

[Neil D]

Australia is to almost double its troop numbers in Afghanistan. It will send a 200-strong reconstruction team to the country's volatile southern region. The Australian contingent will work alongside Dutch soldiers as part of a force preparing to expand peacekeeping and rebuilding operations.

The new deployment will take the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan to 500.

The new contingent will arrive in July for a two-year mission and will work with Dutch-led reconstruction teams.

Half the force will be military engineers who will help build roads while other personnel will provide security in what will be a potentially hazardous environment.

They will operate in the southern province of Uruzgan, a former stronghold of the Taleban force that once ruled Afghanistan. The Taleban is allied with the al Qaida terror network, and militants from both have staged attacks throughout Afghanistan over the past few years.

Defense Minister Brendan Nelson says that stability in Afghanistan has a direct bearing on Australia's national security.

[:"green"]VOA NEWS[/]

[Nan]

Part of an ongoing process....

[Bravus]

I'm hearing that the Aussies and the Dutch are just quietly going in, working alongside the local people and building infrastructure that will help everyone. There are definitely dangers for these troops, but as they really work alongside people and people realise they are there to help, I think they will actually be safer, and also will help with improving conditions for the people of Afghanistan, which has basically been a war zone for at least 20 years (with the Russians first) and in some ways much longer. As someone said, even the idea of a central government by the governed is a new idea in Afghanistan.