350 Australian troops have arrived in East Timor

Some 350 Australian troops have arrived in East Timor to help quell fighting between the military and a group of rebel soldiers, Prime Minister John Howard said Friday.

By Space Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published May 25, 2006 · Updated March 13, 2026

Some 350 Australian troops have arrived in East Timor to help quell fighting between the military and a group of rebel soldiers, Prime Minister John Howard said Friday.

“As we speak there are about 350 Australia troops now in East Timor,” Howard told commercial radio.

“And it’s reasonable to expect that by the end of the weekend all of the entire battalion group force of 1,300 will be there.”

Canberra agreed to send troops to its northern neighbour on Wednesday as fighting around the tiny nation’s capital of Dili escalated.

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