By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced here Friday that 25 Allies and Partners committed around 7,000 troops for 2010 for Afghanistan, with the possibility of more contributions to come.
Speaking to reporters after a joint meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers with non-NATO nations contributing troops to ISAF, he said NATO will have 37,000 troops more on the ground in Afghanistan next year.
US President Barack Obama recently announced the dispatch of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
“We have solidarity over the mission backed up by action,” said Rasmussen.
ISAF prresently has over 80,000 troops in Afghanistan.
The meeting was also attended by foreign minister of Afghanistan Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Baroness Catherine Margaret Ashton, the EU’s new foreign minister, and Kai Eide, the United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan.
The ISAF Foreign Ministers reiterated their collective objective to hand over lead security responsibility to the Afghan forces, starting next year, when conditions allow.
To this end, nations pledged to invest more in training, equipping and sustaining the Afghan National Security Forces, through the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.
The ministers adopted a declaration outlining a new approach for Afghanistan in which the protection of the Afghan people is given a particular focus.