Monday, October 19, 2015

Three NATO Nations Will Maintain Their Military Presence In Afghanistan

NATO soldiers stand near a damaged NATO military vehicle at the site of a suicide car bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, October 11, 2015. REUTERS/OMAR SOBHANI

Reuters: Exclusive: NATO nations to keep presence in Afghanistan, officials say

Germany, Turkey and Italy are set to keep their deployments in Afghanistan at current levels, senior NATO officials said on Monday after the U.S. government decided to prolong its 14-year-old military presence there.

The Taliban's brief takeover of a provincial capital has raised concern about the strength of Afghan state forces and both the United States and its NATO allies now say events, rather than timetables, must dictate gradual troop reductions.

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's top commander in Europe, said he had assurances that NATO countries will continue alongside the nearly 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. While discussions of exact numbers are still continuing, the biggest national deployments are not in doubt, he said.

WNU Editor: These forces are too low in numbers to make a difference.

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