Spain to send over 500 troops to Afghanistan

[Kshasty]

Source: RIA Novosti

Spain will send 511 soldiers to Afghanistan in the near future, local media said, quoting the country's defense minister.

In early December, U.S. President Barack Obama announced White House's plans to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in the first part of 2010 to defeat the Taliban and establish law and order.

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called for NATO members to follow Washington's example.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and a separate U.S.-led coalition, involved in Operation Enduring Freedom, have a total of 112,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://en.rian.ru/world/20091218/157280874.html

[Wizard777]

1. This is huge! Another feather for Obama's cap.

[JonQ]

2. An increase of 500

of the 35,000 or so non-american troops = ~1.5% increase.

Increase of 30,000 of the ~100,000 or so american troops = ~30% increase.

Not that impressive of a show of support for the "good war" from our allies.

[Turborama]

3. How did you get those numbers?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8388711.stm">Q&A: Foreign forces in Afghanistan

[JonQ]

4. Those were the latest numbers I had seen

on NATO and US troops.

Of those 71,000 that you have listed there as NATO over half are actually american. The 30,000 are also american, but under a different command structure.

So the overwhelming majority are american.

[m3e92man8850]

5. they're making a big mistake

[conspirator]

6. There they go on another crusade. They forget how close muslim north africa is nt