The Dutch Cabinet decided on Friday to deploy 130 additional soldiers in the Afghan province of Uruzgan. Some 65 soldiers will be sent to the region and a further 65 security troops and logistical personnel who were to be pulled out will remain on duty there. They will be deployed to offer better security to troops assisting in the province's reconstruction. There are currently 1,400 Dutch soldiers deployed in Uruzgan as part of NATO's ISAF mission. Dutch soldiers have been involved in several gun battles with Taliban fighters in recent days. The Defence Ministry also said Apache helicopters and F-16 fighter jets have been involved in action involving Canadian troops in Kandahar.
Defence Minister Henk Kamp said the additional deployment does not require permission from Parliament. The left-wing opposition parties have demanded an emergency debate about the matter.
| I thought Afghanistan was the war that the Left supported. |