![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]()
Copenhagen (AFP) Feb 22, 2011 Denmark's political parties Tuesday backed a government plan to gradually pull out Danish troops from Afghanistan starting this summer through the end of 2014 and hand over responsibility to Afghan forces. Most political parties, except far-left groups, backed the plan which will withdraw 30 soldiers this summer from its 750-strong contingent in Helmand province and reduce to 650 soldiers by late 2012, according to an copy of the agreement obtained by AFP. Denmark will hand over its military bases in the dangerous Patrol Base Line located in the "green zone" in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan to local security forces around August, it said. "Our goal is to make Afghanistan assume responsibility of its own security towards the end of 2014," Foreign Minister Lene Espersen told journalists following a meeting with the political parties. The widely anticipated plan was in line with the Scandinavian country's exit strategy put forward last year that will see troops leave the war-torn country before 2015. But Denmark will increase investments in training Afghan police forces, and boost development aid by some 100 million Danish krona (13 million euros, $18 million) by 2013, bringing annual aid to 500 million krona per year. Danish troops suffered the heaviest losses proportionally among participating nations of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, with 40 deaths.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links News From Across The Stans
![]() ![]() Jalalabad, Afghanistan (AFP) Feb 21, 2011 Afghan officials Monday accused NATO forces of killing a family of six in an air strike, a day after President Hamid Karzai said 50 innocent people had died in aerial attacks nearby. The incidents highlight again the sensitive issue of civilian casualties in the war against the Taliban, which is now in its tenth and arguably most critical year amid official warnings of more hard fighting ahe ... read more |
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |