Australia will not set timetable for Iraq troop withdrawal

Australia will not be reducing its forces in Iraq or setting a timetable for them to be withdrawn, the defence minister said yesterday, in response to news that Britain will bring 1,500 troops home in the next few weeks.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said that the aim of all members of the US-led coalition in Iraq was to train domestic forces so they could take over security in Iraq and reduce the necessity of foreign troops, and Britain’s decision was based on this principle.