NATO to consider additional decrease of troops

6 February 2010 | 10:02 | Source: B92

ISTANBUL -- At a meeting of EU defense ministers in Istanbul, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen NATO forces in Kosovo will be decreased further. Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Beta) According to NATO’s plans, the number of troops in Kosovo should be decreased to 4,000 by 2011. During 2009, the number of troops in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission, KFOR, will be decreased to 10,000. He said that in this way, NATO is trying to secure the needed help for the American military in Afghanistan, adding that NATO will be sending 30,000 peacekeepers there. “We will continue to discuss further plans for KFOR, which is expected to start leaving Kosovo under NATO’s direction. There should be no doubt that KFOR will be able to maintain the level of security in the region even with a smaller number of troops,” Rasmussen said.