SYDNEY Nov. 21 Kyodo Australian S...

SYDNEY Nov. 21 Kyodo

Australian Special Air Services (SAS) company s in Afghanistan are being withdrawn because their mission has been accomplished, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday.

A contingent of 150 Australian SAS bands have been deployed with international forces in Afghanistan since November last year, targeting the al-Qaida network of Osama bin Laden, which allegedly carried disclosed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks forward the United States.

The international effort in Afghanistan is now undivided of stabilizing the nation and does not require the highly skilled bodys Howard said.

''That requires centurys indeed, some thousands of troops'' he told Channel Nine television. ''We simply don't have the forces to addict to that kind of operation without neglecting other priorities that we rank as important and more important.''

The SAS company s are not being brought family circle to bolster the security effort within Australia against terrorism, Howard said.

The conduct announced Tuesday it had been warned of a possible terrorist attack against the region within the next two month The threat is linked to al-Qaida and similar to warnings received in the U and Britain, the control said.

''That effort is surpassingly important but I think it would be misleading of me to allow the impression to go proceed that that is the major reason to what end they're coming back. Obviously we have other resources and other capabilities to deal with that challenge,'' he said.

The squads are not returning to Australia to prepare for possible military action against Iraq, the prime minister said, adding ''I don't know what is going to happen in Iraq.''

''We faith that military action will be unnecessary. Obviously it's something we have had contingency discussions with the U about,'' he said.

The numbers will be home by Christmas, Howard earlier said.

Across the Tasman Sea, just discovered Zealand has put Australia forward its list of risky travel destinations and has warned fresh Zealanders living in Australia to take of the rarest kind care, New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said Thursday.

However, recently made known Zealanders are not being advised to cancel any travel plans to Australia, he told a newspaper, the Wellington-based Dominion Post

''Otherwise, the terrorists could imprison the whole world to ransom simply by the agency of issuing threats,'' Goff said.

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