Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

So the government is disposed to having the Australian Defence Force in Al Muthanna provide training from the air base in Tallil. They will also provide further training in support of border protection to the Iraqi security forces in the southern part of Iraq. In addition to that, if the Iraqi security forces, under the direction of the democratically elected Iraqi national government and the provincial government of Al Muthanna, require it, and if the legal, administrative and military arrangements are to the satisfaction of the Australian government, we will provide in extremis support to the Iraqi security forces. This is a very important step and an important milestone in the move to the democratically governed country of Iraq. We are very proud of what our soldiers have done. This job is associated with risk because it is an important job. We are very proud of them and we look forward to further progress in Iraq.

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