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Howard: Brutal attack unforgivableAustralian PM sending investigation team to London
 Howard said London would continue to be a citadel of democracy. SPECIAL REPORTYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSSYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a close ally of Britain and the United States in the war on terror, said on Friday the London bombings will not alter any decisions his government might take on again sending troops to Afghanistan. "Australia will not be intimidated by this attack," he said, condemning the London bombings as "brutal, indiscriminate and unforgivable." Howard told a news conference in Canberra that Australia was sending a six-member team to London to help the police investigation there. He said it would include counter-terrorism, bomb and transport experts. The prime minister also said that the latest information he had was that 52 people had died in the attacks -- well above the official figure of 37 dead. Australia is to decide next week whether it will again commit troops to the military operations in Afghanistan. It was one of the first countries to volunteer forces to the U.S.-led action against the terrorist group al Qaeda and its Taliban hosts in Afghanistan in 2001. (Full story) Australian special operations forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan in late 2002, but there have been frequent requests recently from the government of Afghan President Hamid Kharzai to commit troops there again. Howard again stressed that no decision had yet been made on this request. Australia also has sent troops, aircraft and ships to the U.S.-led operations in Iraq. Howard is due to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair when he visits Great Britain from July 20-24, after discussions in Washington first with U.S. President George W. Bush between July 15-19. Howard said it was the goal of terrorists to disrupt planning and cooperation between allies in the war on terror. For that reason, it was more important than ever that his visit to the United States and the UK go ahead. He said he would talk to Blair later in the day and convey the sympathies of the Australian people to all those affected by the London tragedy. Seven Australians are among the injured. Howard said it was reasonable to assume the London transport bombing was a terrorist attack and that there were similarities to the Madrid rail attack in March 2004 which killed 191 people. But he would not speculate on who might have been responsible. Howard described the attack as the mark of the "depraved character" of the people responsible. "It is a horrific reminder of the kind of people we must confront and defeat," he said. 
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