Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that Australian troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan earlier than planned. In a speech to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra Ms Gillard said troops would begin pulling out this year and the drawdown process would be completed by the end of 2013. Most international troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is in the process of handing over security responsibility to Afghan troops. Some strategically important areas of the south and east have already been transferred to Afghan forces. There are currently about 130,000 NATO troops from 50 contributing nations in Afghanistan.

Australia has some 1,550 troops serving in Afghanistan, mainly in the Uruzgan province. 32 Australian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan Since 2001. Australia is the second country who has announced early withdrawal of its troops from strife torn Afghanistan. France has already announced withdrawal of its forces in by the 2013.