Estonia to send additional peacekeeping unit to Afghanistan
15:06, 11 June 2009
TALLINN. June 11. KAZINFORM 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, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
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, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.