Australia says last troops withdrawn from Afghanistan

Australia says last troops withdrawn from Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Australia's defence minister on Sunday confirmed the end of his country's involvement in the 20-yearAfghanistanwar, saying the troop withdrawal had taken place "in recent weeks".

Australiaannounced in April that it would remove its remainingtroopsby September in line with the US decision to end its military operations in the war-torn country.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News that the country'slast80 support personnel had leftAfghanistan"in recent weeks".

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"That doesn't mean we won't be a part of campaigns with the United States... where we deem that to be in our national interest or in the interest of our allies," he added.

"For now, though, that campaign has come to an end."

Australiahad deployed 39,000troopsover the past 20 years as part of the US and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and terrorist groups inAfghanistan, a mission that cost the country billions of dollars and left 41 Australian soldiers dead.

And while the country has not had a significant troop presence inAfghanistansince withdrawing combat personnel in late 2013, the war has taken a toll and fuelled controversy at home.

Veterans groups have pressured the government into launching a formal inquiry into the high number of suicides among Afghan veterans and other ex-servicemen and women.

The military and police are also actively investigating allegations that elite Special Air Services soldiers committed numerous war crimes inAfghanistan.