topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2117.66 -0.08
DAX 6323.19 -0.26
IBEX 30 6401.2 -2.17
CAC 40 3042.97 -0.16
FTSE 100 5356.34 0.09
AEX 292.76 0.00
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13057.26 -0.74
TSX Composite 11566.15 -0.09
ASX 4120.2 0.96
Hang seng 18800.99 0.47
Straits Times 2787.22 0.52
ISEQ 20 501.76 0.16
You are here: Home News Dutch News NATO requests more troops for Afghanistan

Dutch News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


25/03/2008NATO requests more troops for Afghanistan

Spain likely to send teams to train security forces and army

25 March 2008

MADRID - NATO has requested that all its members increase engagement in Afghanistan, where the Atlantic Alliance currently has over 43,000 troops to oversee the country's reconstruction. For Spain, that will most likely mean sending new instruction teams to help develop the Afghan Security Forces and the Afghan National Army.

NATO's plans for the central Asian country include deploying around 70 Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLT), of which so far there are fewer than 50 on the ground, including two Spanish teams with 26 instructors each. Another 20 teams are needed, of which six would be destined to the west of the country, where the 700-strong Spanish contingent is currently stationed. Spain has ruled out the possibility of redeploying its troops to the south of Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest, making it likely that its contribution will focus on reinforcing its presence in the west with new instructor teams.

Greater engagement in Afghanistan will be one of the key issues at the NATO summit in Bucharest between 2 and 4 April, when Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and US President George W. Bush are also scheduled to hold their first bilateral meeting since Zapatero pulled Spanish troops from Iraq in 2004.

[Copyright El Pais / MIGUEL GONZÁLEZ 2008]


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Relocating to the Netherlands

Taxation on Rental Apartments!

Housing in the Netherlands

Taxation on Rental Appartments?

Discuss Dutch Culture

High-quality fake passports, driver's licenses, ID

English in the Netherlands

Moved to Hengelo

Travel & Transport in the Netherlands

Buy fake passports, driver's licenses, identity cards

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Setting up home in the Netherlands

Setting up home in the Netherlands

A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.