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Spain eyes 200 more troops in Afghanistan - PM

Reuters Translate This Article
6 September 2009

MADRID, (Reuters) - Spain plans to send 200 more soldiers to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Saturday.

That would bring Spanish troop levels up to about 1,000, not counting a contingent of 450 who went to Afghanistan to boost security for elections held on Aug. 20.

'Apart from reporting on the current situation, the defence minister will probably ask parliament to increase troop numbers by around 200,' Zapatero told Onda Cero radio.

Zapatero had already said earlier he was willing to send more soldiers to Afghanistan if needed. U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan are due to increase to about 110,000 by the end of the year from a current 103,000.

Spanish troops came under attack from insurgents in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, in which the Defence Ministry said at least 13 rebels were killed.

Zapatero also referred to an air attack in Afghanistan on Friday in which Afghan officials say scores of people were killed, many of them civilians, as 'awful'.

He said that when Spain chairs the European Union during the first half of 2010, it will stress the need for a change in strategy to update a military exit plan from Afghanistan.

(Reporting by Blanca Rodriguez; Writing by Martin Roberts) Copyright 2009 Reuters. Reprinted with permission from Reuters. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters Sphere Logo are registered trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. For additional information about Reuters content and services, please visit Reuters website at www.reuters.com. License # REU-5918-MES

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