Both the Swedish government and the Ministry of Defence have agreed to increase the military reinforcement in Afghanistan, reported Dagens Nyheter recently. It will consist of an additional 130 to 150 men from today's 300.
Swedish Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors says however that the government has not taken any definite decisions as to the size of reinforcement. He says that, his ambition is to increase the Swedish military presence and he prioritises the sending of three helicopter ambulances to improve the medical chain and insure the safety of the ground troops.
The mandate for the current Swedish troops in Afghanistan runs out in December and it will be up to the government and the parliament to decide on any prolongations. Earlier, there was a controversy on pulling out the troops after six months due to costs and the rainy season.
It is not clear as of today what specific duty the additional soldiers will have. It could mean reinforcement in the Provincial Reconstruction Team, PRT, in Mazar-i-Sharif in north Afghanistan which is headed by Sweden. Tolgfors however assured that no Swedish soldiers will go to the southern part where the security situation is bad. It does not mean however that the same problem does not exist in the north, he adds.
As to where JAS fighter planes will be offered to the forces in Afghanistan remains a question. Tolgfors says that this is a matter for NATO which leads the Isaf-forces in Afghanistan. He reiterates that his priority are ambulance helicopter planes. "There are other EU countries that can supply the fighting planes," he says.
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