Australia to Send More Troops to Iraq (moved from ATSNN), page 1

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has pledged to send more combat troops to help coalition efforts in Iraq. Australia will send an additional 450 cavalry and infantry troops, more than doubling the number of Australian combat troops currently in the Iraq theatre. The move brings criticism from some in Australia since Howard had said during his 2004 election campaign that he would not send more soldiers to Iraq.

www.nytimes.com
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 22 - After long resisting entreaties from the Bush administration, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia announced Tuesday that he would dispatch more combat troops to Iraq.

Australia will send a 450-member cavalry and infantry force, Mr. Howard said, which will more than double the number of Australian combat troops currently in Iraq. Mr. Howard, who had pledged during his campaign for re-election in October that he would not send more troops, said Tuesday that Iraq was at a "tilting point," but that he knew his decision would be criticized.

"I know it will be unpopular with many people," he said at a news conference in Canberra.

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It seems that all democratic governments see the elections in January as a milestone turning point in Iraq and have been energized by seeing the Iraqis make a stand for their own democratic future. Australia's enlarged role is joined by several members of NATO making a first commitment to Iraq's future.

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