Australia creates anti-terror force

By Red Harrison
BBC correspondent in Sydney

Australia was shocked by the Bali bombings

Australia is to establish a special unit of military reserve forces to deal with what the government says is the growing threat of international terrorism.

Training for the new force is expected to begin immediately.

Units of the new special reserve force will be on guard around Australia within the next two weeks.

Their tasks will range from anti-terrorist operations to protection duty at significant public events and at essential installations such as power stations, oil refineries, roads, bridges and important buildings like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the opera house.

Most controversially, every soldier in this force is expected to be ordered to carry weapons.

This is the biggest peace-time shake-up of Australia's military reserves and it follows repeated government warnings that Australia's profile as a target for militants has increased dramatically since the invasion of Iraq.

Australia has about 25,000 volunteers in the reserve force, many of whom have already served in peacekeeping operations in East Timor and Bougainville and as auxiliary protection units during the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000.