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Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner stated that the government was about to make a decision about the withdrawal of Australian military men from Afghanistan. This initiative shows that the international military contingent, which the United States attracted for its Enduring Freedom Operation, is about to end its existence. It seems that there is no unity in the coalition. Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said in August 2009 that Ottawa was not going to leave its contingent in Afghanistan after 2011, even if other NATO allies asked the nation to do so. The Canadian authorities, the minister said, were concerned about the losses of its servicemen in the war-torn nation. Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi said in September of this year that he would like his men to return back home from Afghanistan. The majority of Italians strictly condemn their nation’s military presence in Afghanistan. As for Australian military men, there are over 1,500 of them in Afghanistan at the moment. The Australian Special Air Service conducted many successful operations against the Taliban movement. However, the renowned military unit had to pay a big price for that. Those who said that Canada’s decision to pull out from Afghanistan would trigger a chain reaction were right. (http://english.pravda.ru/world/australia/22-10-2009/110070-australia-0)
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