By Xinhua
Kabul : Visiting Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira said Saturday Portugal would send a military team to train Afghan Army personnel.
“We know that training of Afghanistan National Army is very important and that is why Portugal will send at the beginning of 2008 a team for training of the Afghan Army,” he told newsmen at a joint press conference here with his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak.
He also linked the security of Europe to the security of Afghanistan and added Portugal is committed to supporting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
“In a certain way the security of Afghanistan is our security in general and that is why Portugal is committed to the security, prosperity and stability of Afghanistan since 2005,” Teixeira said.
Currently, 161 military servicemen of Portugal – serving as Quick Reaction Force within the framework of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) – have been mostly stationed in Kabul but have the mandate to operate in any part of Afghanistan if needed.
Some 55,000 troops of NATO-led ISAF and the US-led Coalition forces have been stationed in Afghanistan to fight Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives.