US to Request More Finnish Troops for Afghanistan

finlandmilitaryThe Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has claimed that unnamed “experts” have confirmed that the US is set to ask the nation to deploy more troops to Afghanistan over the coming months.

It is believed that a potential presidential run-off in October would see a demand for additional security forces. The extra military would be used to counter what is an expected upsurge in Taliban-led attacks.

In contrast, Seppo Kaariainen, a former defence minister and a deputy speaker in Parliament noted in an online column that the time had come for the reduction of troops to the pre-election level of 100 as the situation improves.

Finland’s contribution of 100 to the International Security Assistance Force was doubled in the lead up to the recent election to ensure safety for voters.

The Finnish defence ministry claimed that it was unaware of any requests that had been made for extra forces. A spokesperson for the defence ministry, Jyrki Iivonen, did however add: “But on the other hand the United States issues these requests on an almost monthly basis”.

Last week, the head of the NATO led forces in Afghanistan informed President Obama that it did not have sufficient forces to maintain a peaceful election, having its hands full with the Taliban, which was an ongoing concern.

Comments are closed.