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Australia beefs up Gulf forces
By Grant Holloway
CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Australia has begun sending the last of its military personnel and equipment to the Persian Gulf to join U.S. and U.K. forces in the build-up to possible action against Iraq. A squadron of F/A 18 Hornet fighter aircraft will leave Australia Saturday to join existing Australian Defense Force equipment and personnel in the Middle East as part of "Operation Bastille." The 14 aircraft are currently based at Tindal in Australia's Northern Territory. Support elements for Australia's Special Forces Task Group and a navy diver team will leave later next week. The latest deployments will join a squadron of Special Air Services forces, commando unit troops, support personnel, "weapons of mass destruction" specialist soldiers, an air force reconnaissance team, support personnel and 350 regular soldiers and sailors. Transport aircraft, two Navy frigates and a transport ship, and army and navy helicopters are also already in place. In total, around 2,000 Australian troops will be based in the Persian Gulf region. Despite the commitment, the defense department says Australia has not made a decision to commit to military action against Iraq and says the build-up is designed to step up diplomatic pressure on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In a statement released Friday, the department also said that clear arrangements were in place to ensure the troops remained under the control of the Australian government, including those involved in Operation Bastille. The commitment of troops to the Middle East has become a political headache for the conservative government of Prime Minister John Howard, with opposition groups demanding assurances the troops will not be used against Iraq without United Nations endorsement. To date, Howard -- who leaves Saturday for high-level meetings in Washington, London and Jakarta -- has failed to give such an assurance. The prime minister -- a steadfast supporter of U.S. policy on Iraq -- maintains that Baghdad is already sufficiently in breach of U.N. requirements on disarming to justify any military action that might be taken. However the government would prefer any military action taken to be authorized by the United Nations Security Council -- a stance which reflects the strong majority of Australian public opinion. Howard told radio audiences Friday that Australia would not make a final decision on military involvement "until we know all the facts". "If in the end there is a formal request for involvement in a military operation, I will be getting my Cabinet together and we will have a quick meeting and make a decision," Howard said. The Australian leader said history suggested that Saddam Hussein did not respond to "sweet reason" and the only way to get Iraq to comply with U.N. demands was to apply military pressure. "I believe that the military buildup is the best prospect of getting him (Saddam) to capitulate," Howard said.
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