Albania sends more troops to Afghanistan
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Albania, one of the newest NATO members, has sent additional troops to join the international force in Afghanistan.
This week another 120 soldiers were sent to join the current 142-strong contingent. The Albanian forces are deployed in the province of Herat in the western part of the country and are subordinate to Italian command.
During the farewell ceremony for the troops, Albanian Defence Minister Gazmed Oketa praised the excellent cooperation between the Albanian and Italian army and stressed that the country’s contribution is especially important ahead of the 20 August presidential elections in Afghanistan. The Albanian army’s role is to ensure security in the region, where coalition forces continue to battle Taliban insurgents.
The Albanian army is also involved in the EU mission in Chad in Central Africa as well as contributing to stabilization forces present in Bosnia. Until last December, the country also took part in the US-led mission in Iraq. Albania, along with Croatia joined NATO at the Strasbourg summit in April this year.
