Belgium commits more troops to Afghanistan

BRUSSELS, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Belgium will deploy 140 more troops and four F-16 planes in Afghanistan within this year, Belgian Defense Minister Pieter De Crem said Friday.

Around 360 Belgian soldiers are in Afghanistan at present, most of them maintaining security at Kabul Airport.

The move came in response to a NATO call for more troops to be deployed in Afghanistan. A week ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Belgium has decided to reinforce its military presence in the Asian country, Belgian public broadcaster VRT reported Friday.

For four months starting from September, 100 Belgian troops will support Dutch troops stationed in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan.

The four F-16 jets will be deployed in Kandahar from September 1.

Twenty Belgian troops will start to defend Kabul Airport from April 1 while the International Security Assistance Force moves its installations from the southern to the northern end of the compound.

Twenty military instructors are also to be sent to Afghanistan after October 1 to help train Afghan military personnel. They will be based at either Kabul or Kunduz.

The Belgian military presence in Afghanistan will cost around 30 million euros this year, VRT reported.