Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on Sunday pledged to allow coalition Members of Parliament (MPs) to speak their own thoughts in next week's parliament debate over the Afghanistan war. All 150 federal lower house MPs will be invited on Tuesday to comment on Australia's commitment to the U.S.-led war that began in 2001, which has left 21 soldiers dead. "I expect people to speak their minds," Abbott told the Nine Network. "We've never had a Stalinist approach to these issues. "I'd expect coalition members to say what is in their hearts but, on the other hand, the vast majority of coalition members, I think, are very comfortable with our commitment." Abbott, who visited Australia's troops in Afghanistan last week, insisted bipartisan support for the war in Afghanistan is unshakable, adding that most coalition MPs backed the U.S. alliance and the fight against terrorism. The debate came as Liberal Senator, also the coalition defense spokesman, David Johnston last month called on the government to send 360 extra troops to Afghanistan, along with tanks and helicopters. Twenty-one soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, with 152 personnel wounded since the war began in 2001. Australia's troop numbers stand at 1,500, almost all in the volatile southern province of Oruzgan in Afghanistan.