Australia will increase its troop commitment in Afghanistan by 450 soldiers to 1,550 to reduce the terror threat from the increasingly unstable nation, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Wednesday.
Rudd acknowledged the move would result in more Australian deaths and be widely opposed by the public, as analysts warned the protracted and increasingly bloody conflict could last another decade. "Today I have announced an increase in our troop commitment from 1,100 to around 1,550," Rudd told reporters.