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More Troops Might be Necessary, Howard Warns
Thursday, October 25, 2001
By Craig Skehan & David Humphries
The Sidney Morning Herald

"To ask ... when it will end is to betray a misunderstanding of the nature of the enemy," Prime Minister John Howard said.

(John Howard’s speach)
The Prime Minister pledged yesterday to consider an expanded military commitment to the war on terrorism if it became necessary as a senior Pentagon official admitted being surprised at how "doggedly" Taliban forces were resisting the allied offensive.

John Howard said the Australian deployment of more than 1,500 personnel was sufficient for the current mission against the Taliban and the forces of Osama bin Laden.

"However, I do stress that should the nature or scale of this conflict change substantially, requests for further commitments may be made and they would be considered carefully," he said.

"Our resolve to join other nations to rid the world of this insidious scourge should not be doubted."

This came as Rear-Admiral John Stufflebeem, an official with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said allied forces faced a struggle to dislodge Taliban troops from Afghan cities. The Taliban was deliberately moving its forces into cities knowing the military and technological advantages of the US would be limited by a desire to minimise civilian casualties.
(More: The Sidney Morning Herald News Source)
2001 © The Sidney Morning Herald.

Dan