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Australia vows to 'stay the course' in Afghanistan despite deadly attack
Australia on Friday vowed to see its mission in Afghanistan through to its conclusion at the end of next year despite suffering its worst military losses since the Vietnam war, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
Three Australian troops were shot by an Afghan colleague in so-called “green-on-blue” violence and two others died in a helicopter crash within 24 hours this week. Defense Minister Stephen Smith, however, said the country would continue with its mission to progressively transfer power to Afghan forces in Uruzgan province, saying an immediate withdrawal would “increase the risk” of a Taliban resurgence.
“It doesn’t do anything to my resolve to stay the course,” Smith reportedly told reporters in Australia, “because staying the course is absolutely the right thing to do.”
