By SPA,
United Nations : The Afghan National Army is to increase its troop levels to 134,000, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
The army currently has 70,000 personnel.
The decision was made in response to a request by Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, according to a statement from the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Committee (JCMB).
The JCMB consists of seven members of the Afghanistan government and 21 members of the international community.
“I welcome the decision taken today to expand the Afghan National Army,” said Kai Eide, special representative of the secretary general and co-chair of the JCMB.
“This increase is a huge step toward ensuring the Afghan Government has the numbers of soldiers it needs and that it can gradually take over responsibility for the security of the country,” Eide added.