Sunday, June 14, 2009

DTN News: Estonia To Send Additional Peacekeeping Unit To Afghanistan

DTN News: Estonia To Send Additional Peacekeeping Unit To Afghanistan
*Source: Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) TALLINN - June 14, 2009: Estonian lawmakers have decided to send an additional contingent of peacekeepers to Afghanistan to improve security ahead of the war-torn country's August 20 presidential election, the parliamentary press service said on Thursday. The Baltic country initially planned to send the peacekeeping unit to Iraq, but Estonia officially ended its mission in Iraq in early February after the Iraqi government gave no request for the mission to be prolonged. Over 20 countries have already decided on sending additional units to Afghanistan, including Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland. An Estonian 34-soldier infantry platoon returned from Iraq in December 2008. Estonian servicemen have been involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom since June 2003. Two Estonian soldiers have died and 18 have been wounded in the country. Since 2003, Estonian soldiers have been in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The country's military has seen three deaths and about 30 servicemen wounded during its participation in NATO operations in Afghanistan.

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