April 17, 2012, Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, says most of her country’s Diggers will leave Afghanistan by the end of next year. That almost one year early.

Australia has about 1,500 military personnel in Afghanistan.  Gillard says the pullout is because she believes security has improved so well that most occupying forces can move from combat to a purely “support” role.

In Takhar Province dozens of female high school students were made ill, after their drinking water was poisoned.  About 100 girls are reporting illness.

Local police are investigating, but so far they don’t know what’s in the water to make people sick.

In Kandahar, Uruzgan and Nangarhar provinces, Afghan police and soldiers were ambushed and wounded.

In Kandahar, officials will not give details, but it sounds like a typical search and destroy mission got ambushed.  Officials claim to have confiscated dozens of weapons.

No details at all about the Uruzgan operations.

In Nangarhar, police were injured after a firefight with Mujahideen. Officials claim the police were carrying out anti-drug operations.

Officials say in all incidents the Mujahideen got away unharmed.

In Nimruz Province an Afghan National Army vehicle ran over a mine, killing two soldiers.