Belgians to stay on in Afghanistan after 2014?
Pieter De Crem (Flemish Christian democrat) expressed his satisfaction about the work that the Belgian troops have been doing in Kunduz since 2004. The Belgians helped in the rebuilding of the war-torn country. This was not an easy task, as they always had to be vigilant and to watch out for Taliban attacks. The Belgian even got caught in an ambush in 2009. However, there were never any Belgian casualties as the Belgians always had a miraculous escape.
"I say: job done", Mr De Crem told reporters. "We also got a positive international feedback. We can call this a success. The country made the transition from a Middle-Aged structure with different clans, to a modern 21st century structure." Kunduz was considered as the most dangerous mission of the Belgians.
Belgium still has troops left in Kandahar, Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, together with German troops. The ISAF mission runs until the end of 2014. In the southern Kandahar region, Belgium has several F-16 fighter jets, which carried out over 5,000 missions already.
Mr De Crem does not exclude that Belgium will stay on in Afghanistan after 2014. "The government agreed that it's possible to continue operations to rebuild the country together with other countries. This should become a different operation from what we have been doing until now." However, a formal decision has not been taken yet.
