2.24pm
Taskforce 'valuable' to Iraq effort

By Robin Pash
February 22, 2005


A SECOND Australian taskforce would be a valuable contribution to the coalition effort in Iraq, a defence lobby group said today.

Australia is sending another 450 troops to Iraq to take over from 1400 Dutch soldiers who had provided security for Japanese military engineers in the southern province of Al Muthanna.
The Australia Defence Association (ADA) said the province's population of Shi'ite Muslims made it a lot safer than areas such as the lethal Sunni triangle.
No place in Iraq, however, was entirely safe.

"Let's face it, the country's a war zone," ADA director Neil James said.
"It's just that the area the Australians are going has a Shi'ite majority and most of the Shi'ites, naturally enough, are in favour of the democratic process in Iraq and most of the terrorists are Sunnis."
The taskforce would provide crucial defence for Japanese forces, whose post-World War II constitution prevents them from being involved in combat roles.
It was "asking a bit much" for existing contingents to take on the role after the withdrawal of the Dutch, Mr James said.

The presence of the Australians in Al Muthanna would predictably draw some fire from insurgents in what has been a relatively peaceful area.
"Any coalition forces in Iraq and the security forces of the provisional Iraqi government are going to draw fire from the insurgents," Mr James said.

"It's a situation that to some extent is reasonably inevitable. People in Iraq have to live with it and we have to live with it."
The ADA believed the deployment was well planned.

"Most of the people criticising it would criticise the current government no matter what it did," Mr James said.
AAP