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Britain ‘Could Send In More Troops’ After NATO’s Request

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with U.K Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday where they discussed preparations for the upcoming meeting of Allied leaders later this month and the need for more troops in Afghanistan.

In their talks, Stoltenberg and May discussed the importance of sharing the burden of fighting terrorism fairly and what more NATO could do in the fight against terrorism.

Stoltenberg noted that NATO’s military authorities have requested a few thousand more troops for Afghanistan, and that decisions will be taken in the coming weeks.

Britain’s Daily Mail reported that Britain could send up to 100 more British troops to Afghanistan, while The Sun stated that May had agreed to sending in the extra 100 soldiers.

According to the report, they will be deployed to Kabul to join around 500 already there.

Wednesday’s meeting comes after a request by NATO for its allied countries, including the UK, to increase its role in Afghanistan amid a deteriorating security situation.

The US authorities have written to the NATO secretary-general, NATO allies and partners about the future of the alliance’s presence in Afghanistan.

According to one unnamed source quoted by Britain’s The Telegraph: "Allied leaders will consider future contributions at our meeting in Brussels later this month, and the issue will be examined in further detail by defense ministers in June.

"It is important that NATO continues to provide the right level of support to the Afghan security forces as they stabilize their country," the source said.

This visit comes just a day after the Danish Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said at a joint press conference with U.S Defense Secretary James Mattis that Denmark was considering sending in more soldiers to Afghanistan.

"We are open to increasing the number of our forces in Afghanistan if necessary, but we have not yet made the decision," Frederiksen said.

“But I can say that we are generally positive about increasing our presence in Afghanistan," the minister said.

Frederiksen confirmed to Danish news agency Ritzau that Denmark had received a request from the United States regarding the increased contribution.

"I have answered that we are looking forward to it," he was quoted by Ritzau as saying.

"There are problems in Afghanistan, and it is important that we participate," the minister said.

"So it is quite important that we help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan," he added.

Denmark has provided military and humanitarian support to Afghanistan since 2002 and currently has about 160 troops and support personnel in Afghanistan.

Britain ‘Could Send In More Troops’ After NATO’s Request

Theresa May has reportedly agreed to send in an extra 100 troops to Afghanistan to help train, advise and assist local security forces

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with U.K Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday where they discussed preparations for the upcoming meeting of Allied leaders later this month and the need for more troops in Afghanistan.

In their talks, Stoltenberg and May discussed the importance of sharing the burden of fighting terrorism fairly and what more NATO could do in the fight against terrorism.

Stoltenberg noted that NATO’s military authorities have requested a few thousand more troops for Afghanistan, and that decisions will be taken in the coming weeks.

Britain’s Daily Mail reported that Britain could send up to 100 more British troops to Afghanistan, while The Sun stated that May had agreed to sending in the extra 100 soldiers.

According to the report, they will be deployed to Kabul to join around 500 already there.

Wednesday’s meeting comes after a request by NATO for its allied countries, including the UK, to increase its role in Afghanistan amid a deteriorating security situation.

The US authorities have written to the NATO secretary-general, NATO allies and partners about the future of the alliance’s presence in Afghanistan.

According to one unnamed source quoted by Britain’s The Telegraph: "Allied leaders will consider future contributions at our meeting in Brussels later this month, and the issue will be examined in further detail by defense ministers in June.

"It is important that NATO continues to provide the right level of support to the Afghan security forces as they stabilize their country," the source said.

This visit comes just a day after the Danish Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said at a joint press conference with U.S Defense Secretary James Mattis that Denmark was considering sending in more soldiers to Afghanistan.

"We are open to increasing the number of our forces in Afghanistan if necessary, but we have not yet made the decision," Frederiksen said.

“But I can say that we are generally positive about increasing our presence in Afghanistan," the minister said.

Frederiksen confirmed to Danish news agency Ritzau that Denmark had received a request from the United States regarding the increased contribution.

"I have answered that we are looking forward to it," he was quoted by Ritzau as saying.

"There are problems in Afghanistan, and it is important that we participate," the minister said.

"So it is quite important that we help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan," he added.

Denmark has provided military and humanitarian support to Afghanistan since 2002 and currently has about 160 troops and support personnel in Afghanistan.

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