(CNN) -- When Afghan forces repelled a barrage of attacks from insurgents near Kabul's green zone over the weekend it was hailed as proof of how far local security forces had come. "They were on scene immediately, well-led and well-coordinated," said General John Allen, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan. Afghan president Hamid Karzai said it showed the country's forces would be able to defend their country after international forces leave. Karzai: Afghan forces ready to defend nation Then on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her country would pull its troops out months earlier expected -- by early 2014 -- citing an improvement in the security situation.
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Australia's 1,550 troops in Afghanistan a fraction of the overall number of foreign troops deployed
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PM Julia Gillard announces plans to pull them out early citing an improvement in security
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Weekend attacks seen as a marker of how far Afghan security forces have improved
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More than 130,000 troops from 50 countries are currently operating in Afghanistan
The crisis response group is based in the capital and has received training from @placeholder special forces.