Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Tuesday announced that Australia will send 450 more troops to Iraq within the next 10 weeks.

The new taskforce, including cavalry, infantry and training team, will be based in Al Muthanna province in southern Iraq and will have 40 ASLAV armored vehicles.

They will work alongside Japanese forces rebuilding roads and schools and will also help train Iraqi security forces.

Howard said Iraq is now at a "tilting point" following the elections last month.

"The government believes that Iraq is very much at a tilting point and it's very important that the opportunity of democracy, not only in Iraq, but also in other parts of the Middle East be seized and consolidated," he told reporters.

"The first (task) will be to provide a secure environment for the Japanese engineering and support forces which are making a valuable humanitarian contribution to the rebuilding process," Howard said.

"The task group will also be involved importantly in the further training of Iraqi security forces," he said.

"That training is essential to the Iraqis in the future being able to take over the internal and external defence of their country," he said.

The decision was taken after The Netherlands withdrew 1,400 personnel from the area in November last year, according to Howard.

The move will cost Australia 250 to 300 million dollars (196 to235 million US dollars ) a year.