Last of Australian combat troops leave Afghanistan

The last combat troops from Australia left Afghanistan, ending an eight-year combat mission in Uruzgan province, officials said Monday. Australian officials said troops left the provincial capital of Tarin Kot Sunday after turning over security responsibility to Afghan forces, Stars and Stripes reported. About 400 Australian military personnel will remain in Kabul and Kandahar to advise and assist Afghan forces. "Australian defense personnel have worked tirelessly alongside forces from the U.S., Netherlands, France, Singapore, Slovak Republic, and New Zealand and have made a positive and enduring contribution to Uruzgan," said Maj. Gen. Craig Orme, the commander of the Australian task force. U.S. Maj. Gen. Paul LaCamer, commander of coalition forces in southern Afghanistan, said Afghan soldiers and police in Uruzgan province contained the insurgency during the past year and built on groundwork laid by the Australians troops. "Uruzgan is a testament to the transition process in Afghanistan and shows we are on the right track," he said. Australian forces had been based in the southern province since 2005. Stars and Stripes said 40 Australian troops were killed in action and 261 had been wounded. Australian Defense Minister David Johnston said Canberra was committed to assisting Afghanistan after the NATO-led coalition withdraws its combat troops at the end of 2014. "The achievements we have made in Afghanistan, and more specifically Uruzgan, can be directly attributed to the professionalism and dedication of more than 26,500 defense personnel deployed over the years," Johnston said.