COPENHAGEN - As Denmark prepares to redeploy troops from southern Iraq to Afghanistan, Defence Minister Soren Gade said Monday he expected that foreign troops should be prepared to remain in Afghanistan for at least ten years. ‘In my view there is no doubt that foreign soldiers will remain in Afghanistan for ten years or more,’ Gade said in remarks quoted by Danish news agency Ritzau.Denmark’s 450-strong contingent in Afghanistan is due to increase to 650 this autumn after a broad political agreement between the government and main opposition parties.
Gade said that to ensure long-term stability in Afghanistan there would likely be need for agreements between the central government in Kabul, various governors and former warlords. ‘The base would be the legitimately elected Afghan government,’ Gade said.
Denmark was in August to withdraw its 500-strong contingent from southern Iraq as Baghdad takes charge of security.