Australian troops, seen here taking position in southern Afghanistan, are set to pull out of the region at the end of this year.<br/> <br />Australia's Defense Minister Stephen Smith said on Tuesday they'll shut down a major base for NATO-led forces, and hand security to Afghan soldiers and police.<br/> <br />Smith said he believes the transition will be smooth when Western troops hand the air base in Uruzgan Province to local forces.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, STEPHEN SMITH SAYING:<br/> <br />"If we were not confident that transition would occur in Uruzgan by the end of this year then this decision would not have been made. It is a necessary and logical and natural consequence of transition being effective in Uruzgan by the end of this year."<br/> <br />Australia has over 1,600 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in the volatile province.<br/> <br />Thirty-nine Australians have been killed in the war, and another 242 have been wounded.<br/> <br />The country has not yet decided,
