15 NATO Members Pledge Contribution to Afghanistan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in his opening remarks of Brussels meeting today told reporters that sending more troops to Afghanistan will help Afghan security forces’ professional capacity in different levels. Hamid Kohistani, Killid reporter from Brussels, reported that Stoltenberg said that the exact number of troops to be sent to Afghanistan will be finalised in today’s meeting. Stoltenberg said, “Our military authorities have requested a few thousand more troops for the Mission in Afghanistan and today, I can confirm that we will increase our presence in Afghanistan.” According to Kohistani, Afghan Acting Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami will express Afghanistan’s demand in the meeting today. The US general commanding NATO forces in Afghanistan, John Nicholson, had in February told Congress he faces a “shortfall of a few thousand” troops, and warned that “we’re in a stalemate”. The United States has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan and another 5,000 are from its NATO allies.