Most troops home from Afghanistan by Xmas

Australian troops will head home as the military base in Tarin Kowt closes at the end of the year. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN troops will head home and the military base at Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan will be closed by the end of the year, Defence Minister Stephen Smith has announced.

Australia still has some 1550 troops in Afghanistan, most in Oruzgan province.

At least 1000 will return to Australia by the end of 2013, Mr Smith told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

The decision by the International Security Assistance Force to draw down and close the multinational base at Tarin Kowt was made after consultation with Australia and Afghan authorities.

It was in line with the timetable to transition to full Afghan-led security responsibility in Oruzgan Province by the end of 2013, Mr Smith said.

Australian forces operate from two camps within Tarin Kowt, Camp Russell and Camp Holland.

Planning has now started to transfer all of Camp Russell and part of Camp Holland to the Afghan government by the end of 2013.

From 2014, Australia will train, advise and assist the Afghan national security forces by continuing to provide embedded headquarters staff, advisers at the Corps level and trainers at the ANA Officer Academy in Kabul.

Under an appropriate mandate, Australia remained prepared to make a special forces contribution, either for training or for counter-terrorism purposes, Mr Smith said.

Defence force chief David Hurley said there were still decisions pending on the further use of special forces in Afghanistan.

In the meantime, Australian troops will continue to train and advise Afghan army forces and remain "combat ready" to assist if the need arises.

The special operations task group will continue to conduct partnered combat operations to disrupt the insurgency, Mr Smith said.

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Spanish troops begin Afghanistan exit

THE Spanish mission in Afghanistan has begun its withdrawal from Qala-i-Naw to its main base in Herat province with the moving of equipment, vehicles and personnel.

"Bringing forward the date originally planned, the Spanish contingent in Afghanistan, Aspfor XXXII, has begun moving materiel to the base maintained by Spain in Herat, in order to be repatriated," Spain's Defence General Staff said on Friday.

Following the recent closure of combat bases in Ludina and Moqur, a total of 45 members of the military are ready to return to Spain on Tuesday.

Personnel from other units, who have already been deactivated, are also in Herat waiting to take a flight back to Spain.

With the withdrawal from Qala-i-Naw, originally planned for the next northern autumn, Spain will be gone from Badghis province and its presence in Afghanistan will be limited to Herat, from where the final withdrawal will take place, scheduled for 2014.

Spain's military has been part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan for more than a decade and currently has some 1400 people serving with the ISAF.

A total of 100 Spanish military personnel have been killed since the mission in Afghanistan started, most of them in air accidents.

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