Australia to boost troops to Afghanistan: Minister

Sydney, Mar 25: Australia will likely send a special forces task group to Afghanistan to counter an expected offensive by Taliban rebels, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said today.

Nelson, who had said last month Australia was considering plans to double its deployment in Afghanistan to about 1,000, told the Nine television network that the government had completed a study on troop levels.

''We believe there is a need, we think that the Taliban will be mounting a very strong offensive shortly,'' he said.

''If we do re-deploy, and I think it's likely that we will, it will be a special forces task group,'' he said.

Nelson said he would be consulting soon with US Secretary for Defence Robert Gates, with British Defence Minister Des Brown and other defence ministers with forces in Afghanistan.

Discussions would centre on coordination of civil and military operations across Afghanistan, as well as support for Pakistan in dealing with the Taliban and its supporters on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, he said.

Nelson also said Australia has not been asked to re-deploy combat troops from southern Iraq to Baghdad to help fight the fresh surge of violence.

Australia has about 1,400 military personnel in and around Iraq, including about 500 soldiers providing security in the country's south.

Reuters