SYDNEY, April 10 (UPI) -- Australia is sending more troops to Afghanistan amid fears of a Taliban resurgence in the war-ravaged country.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Tuesday that a 300-strong unit from the elite Special Operations Task Group will be sent to Oruzgan province in Afghanistan along with another 75 Royal Australian Air Force personnel who will operate radar surveillance of the airspace around Kandahar.
Howard said the move is in response to the deteriorating security situation in the country.
"We have a clear national interest in helping to prevent Afghanistan again becoming a safe haven for terrorists," Howard said. "All the intelligence suggests there is a heightened security threat."
He added that "there is the distinct possibility of casualties and that should be understood and prepared for by the Australian public."
The troop increase brings to nearly 1,000 the number of Australian Defense Force personnel based in Afghanistan.
