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Thursday May 23, 2013

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When the war is over?

Posted by: 3AW Radio | 17 April, 2012 - 7:46 AM
Australian troops in Afghanistan (PIC: A.Wylie FFX)

 

Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirms the bulk of Australian troops will return home from Afghanistan earlier than expected.

Local Afghan troops will begin to take over from Austrailan forces in the Uruzgan Province later this year. The process is expected to take up to eighteen months to complete.

Former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh told 3AW Breakfast that the decision is a significant one that is likely to have been made "in the last 24 hours".

"They will be doing it because the Americans are going to do. America can't afford to stay there any longer," Bruce Haigh said.

"The war is a failure, or the occupation of Afghanistan is a failure, so people want to pull out. I mean they don't want to take any more casualties. Especially with Obama running into an election" he said.

LISTEN BELOW: Former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh speaks with Ross and John

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has maintained on ABC's Four Corners program that the fight in Afghanistan isn't in vain, despite a former Military Commander saying the war shouldn't have come at a human cost.

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LISTEN: Former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh who has worked in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Blog comments Your Say

  • Gillard, will use this for her own interest at the next election>!

    Steve Thursday 19 April, 2012 - 10:09 AM

  • Gillard is going to use this as a political vote for the election next year, and so is Obama, and more of our brave men will die or injured
    for this inhuman so called Lady..

    Peter Wednesday 18 April, 2012 - 4:21 PM

  • Afghanistanâ??s leadership is not too dissimilar to ours.
    Both regimes are drunk with power and completely corrupt.
    Australia now have a socialist government as corrupt as any in any 3rd world hell hole & are unable to do anything as they line their pockets & set us up for depression or recession.
    We are having a very hard time unseating a very corrupt govt here & when we try to make out feelings known are dismissed as people of no consequence or incontinence.
    How can the disparate tribes fight the Saudi or Iranian backed Taliban against forced marriage, theocracy, oppression of women, illiterate girls & reject the Islamic fundamentalism of the Taliban?
    The Afghan Diasporas should return and help clean up their country instead of agitating to change our country into the one they supposedly fled from.
    Every Afghan man in Australia should be returned to their country to serve in their army until such time the Taliban are defeated.
    Why should the cowardly males of Afghanistan be allow to run away from their country & live the good life in Australia, 99% of them on Welfare payments, while we send troops to defend their wives and families?
    The people do NOT need to see or hear Juliar endlessly droning on about bringing our boys home with typical LIEbor spin.
    No ONE in Australia seriously thinks that JuLIARS move to withdraw Australian troops early from Afghanistan OR attend the Gallipoli ANZAC service is anything but political.

    Another Proud Aussie Tuesday 17 April, 2012 - 4:35 PM

  • Nobody ever wins a war, and we have lost so many beautiful men and boys - for what? Bring them home now!

    Pam B Tuesday 17 April, 2012 - 4:19 PM

  • War = Tax so its about time and what a joke this war was

    col Tuesday 17 April, 2012 - 11:02 AM

  • Very sad, when you consider the Americans and Australians are doing this for electoral gain.

    the serial pest Tuesday 17 April, 2012 - 10:20 AM

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