Finland, Sweden to boost military cooperation in Afghanistan

Finland and Sweden will boost military cooperation in Afghanistan, Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces Ari Puheloinen said Monday.

Finland and Sweden are planning to make some changes to troop composition, said Puheloinen in a speech at the opening ceremony of Finland's National Defense Course in Helsinki.

Separate patrol units will be eliminated and traditional squad, platoon and company units will instead be put in place in order to better support Afghan troops and protect local citizens, he said.

Puheloinen said the responsibility for security should shift to the Afghan authorities soon. According to Puheloinen, Finland's tasks in Afghanistan will gradually concentrate on training Afghan troops. The number of Finnish trainers in Afghanistan will possibly be increased from 20 to 30, he said.

Finland now has 121 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. In January, the Finnish government decided to send another 50 troops to Afghanistan to help stabilize the situation there and support its reconstruction.

Source: Xinhua