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Belgium deploys 300 soldiers to reinforce vigilance, security

Xinhua, January 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Belgian government has decided to "temporarily" mobilize 300 military to strengthen vigilance and security measures, Xinhua learned from the office of Prime Minister Charles Michel on Saturday.

On the proposal of the Ministers of Interior and Defense and based on the analysis of the various security services, the restricted ministerial committee decided to mobilize "progressively" up to 300 soldiers.

These soldiers will be deployed from Saturday morning in Brussels and Antwerp. They will be also in Verviers and in other places.

The mobilized soldiers will be armed and has primarily the task of monitoring some sites.

Last Thursday, OCAM, the coordinating body for analysis of the threat of Belgium raised the level of vigilance from two to three on a scale of four on the whole of Belgium, following a vast national anti-terrorist operation who had arrested 13 suspects and killed 2 suspects.

On Friday, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a dozen of measures to fight against terrorism and radicalism in the country. Endit