Australia beefs up forces for war zone

CANBERRA - Australia is to send more troops to Iraq.

Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill said yesterday an extra 30 troops and six armoured vehicles would be sent to help to protect forces already in the strife-stricken country.

He said Australia was doubling its light armoured vehicles in Iraq to 12 and was bringing the Australian security detachment to 120 and the total number of Australians on duty in and around Iraq to 880.

Australia's move was seen as a show of support for the United States-led coalition in Iraq as some countries start to withdraw troops because of continuing violence and a series of kidnappings and executions of hostages.

Among the forces poised to withdraw are 50 soldiers from the Philippine Army. However, there is confusion over Manila's response to Iraqi militants threatening to behead a hostage if the troops do not pull out.

Philippine Foreign Ministry officials held an emergency meeting after the Arabic Al Jazeera television station showed Deputy Foreign Minister Rafael Seguis offering to withdraw Philippine forces "as soon as possible" to save hostage Angelo dela Cruz.

But an Army spokesman said there had been no official order to withdraw and the family of dela Cruz was sceptical after a series of misleading Government statements since the crisis began with the 46-year-old truck driver's abduction last week.

"We have not had an order from any office regarding the pull-out," Army spokesman Daniel Lucero said. "We are prepared to implement our withdrawal plan."

A senior Army officer said it was possible to pull out the small Philippine contingent within three days, in line with the militants' demands for a withdrawal by July 20, but that would require logistical assistance from the US.

In his televised statement, Seguis gave no date for a withdrawal and senior officials declined to comment.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's Government had previously said it would not change plans to withdraw its 51 soldiers, all working on humanitarian projects, as scheduled on August 20.

But she faced a tough dilemma between saving dela Cruz, who comes from her home province, and maintaining her staunch alliance with the US, which led the war on Iraq and is a major donor of military aid to the Philippines.

Seguis' statement followed a new deadline for dela Cruz also shown on Al Jazeera, in which militants said he was being prepared for execution and would be killed shortly unless Manila agreed to pull out its troops by July 20.

Meanwhile ,Australia will begin deploying light armoured Vehicles and possibly the additional troops this week.

Defence Minister Hill said the additional deployment was still below Australia's ceiling on troop numbers in Iraq, which was between 920 and 950.

He repeated that the Government remained committed to stay in Iraq until the job was done.

The future of Australia's troops in Iraq has emerged as a major issue before the Australian election, expected within months.

Opposition Labour leader Mark Latham has vowed to bring the troops home by Christmas if he wins; Prime Minister John Howard has accused Latham of "cutting and running" with his troops promise.

Top American officials have warned that Latham's policy could harm relations between Australia and the US.

Shaky alliance

* Spain withdrew its troops from Iraq after terrorists suspected of having al Qaeda links killed 191 people in bomb attacks on packed Madrid commuter trains. The terrorists said the attacks were revenge for Spanish involvement with United States-led forces.

* The Philippines says it will withdraw its 50 troops from Iraq as soon as possible to save a Filipino hostage. However, it is not clear if the troops will leave any earlier than August 20 as previously planned.

* Australia says its troops will remain in Iraq for as long as needed - and yesterday increased troop numbers.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq