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Two more Australian al Qaeda revealed

Hicks
Australian fighter David Hicks is believed to be intimately involved in al Qaeda  


By Grant Holloway
CNN

CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Two more al Qaeda-trained Australians are thought to be fighting in Afghanistan, although their whereabouts are currently unknown, the Australian government has revealed.

In a joint statement released Thursday, Defense Minister Robert Hill and Attorney-General Daryl Williams confirmed two Australian men, one who has served in the Australian army, were in Afghanistan.

The revelation comes hard on the heels of the capture of a third Australian, David Hicks, by Northern Alliance forces earlier this month.

The Australian government said last week the self-styled "soldier of fortune" Hicks was believed to have been "intimately involved" in the al Qaeda network.

Of the two new men, one is a 25-year-old who is thought to have entered Afghanistan from Iran about August 8 this year. He has previously served with the Australian army.

The second is a 28-year-old man who departed Australia in March 2001, but it is unknown when he entered Afghanistan. This man has no record of military service in Australia.

Both are of caucasian extraction.

At this stage, the Australian government believes there is no connection between the three men who all entered Afghanistan, separately and independently.

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The government said relevant Australian authorities were now continuing to make enquiries into the whereabouts and activities of both men.

"Australian authorities became aware of reports of both men over the last week. However, we have had to verify the accuracy of reports to the authorities before making this information public," the joint statement said.

The government said it had not been possible to confirm media reports of an Australian in hospital in Kandahar.

The parents of the 25-year-old man had earlier contacted Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade concerned about his welfare after reports last week from a U.S. wire service of a "blue-eyed Australian" who had been left behind in a military hospital in Kandahar as Taliban forces retreated from that area.

"It is not known if there is an Australian in that situation and, if so, whether it is one of these two men," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has said it will hand over the captured Hicks so he can be interrogated by Australian security personnel.

Hicks, 26, from the southern Australian city of Adelaide, is currently being held on the USS Peleliu in the Indian Ocean along with four other Western fighters including U.S. citizen John Walker.

Australian attorney-general Daryl Williams told media Wednesday the U.S. had granted access to a combined Australian Secret Intelligence Organization (ASIO) and Australian Federal Police team to interrogate Hicks.

Williams said Australia wished to question Hicks to "ascertain whether there is any intelligence we need to know of" and to determine if any criminal offenses have been committed under Australian law.

The issues of what crimes Hicks could be charged with -- and under which nation's jurisdiction -- are still very much undetermined.

Defense minister Hill said last week that Hicks may have breached an Australian law aimed at discouraging mercenaries.

East Timor soldier
Australia still maintains a sizeable peacekeeping commitment in neighboring East Timor  

That law carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence.

Meanwhile, Australia is expected to decide later on Thursday the extent of its commitment to a peacekeeping role in Afghanistan.

Any commitment is expected to be for a shorter period rather than the long term and the numbers will be influenced by Australia's commitments elsewhere.

Australia currently has defence personnel serving in East Timor, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Diego Garcia, and the Persian Gulf

Australia was one of the first nations to offer military assistance to the U.S. following the September 11 terror attacks.

In total, Australia has committed more than 1,500 military personnel to the coalition response, included 150 Special Air Service troops currently operating at the front lines in Afghanistan.

It has also contributed navy frigates, a transport ship with air defense, long range maritime patrol aircraft, tanker aircraft and F/A-18 fighter aircraft.

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