Military presence in Afghanistan

Portugal will extend its military presence in Afghanistan until February 2007, the country's Superior Council for National Defence said on Tuesday. The decision to extend the mission was made months after Defence Minister Luis Amado pledged last November to keep Portuguese troops in Afghanistan beyond the August 2006 deadline.
Portugal has 196 troops deployed in Afghanistan whose mission was originally scheduled to expire in August 2006. The number of troops will be reduced to 157 after undergoing the current rotation, the council said.
According to Portuguese military officials, Portugal currently has a total of 894 soldiers taking part in peace-keeping missions in seven countries headed by the United Nations, NATO and the European Union.

Source: Xinhua

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