Australians troops to leave Afghanistan by year end

Australia's military involvement in the Afghanistan conflict will end by Christmas with the pullout of most of its 1500 soldiers from the war-torn country, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. "Australia's longest war is ending not with victory, not with defeat, but with, we hope, an Afghanistan that is better for our presence here," he told international soldiers in Tirinkot. In a statement from his office, the prime minister called withdrawal a "bitter-sweet" occasion and acknowledged that Afghanistan remained a dangerous place despite all that had been done. The statement added: "People have paid a high price. We have lost 40 of our best." Another 260 soldiers have been wounded since 2001. Hundred of Australians will continue to serve in non-combat roles in Afghanistan.