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Bulgaria's military involvement in Afghanistan unclear after 2015: chief of defense

Xinhua, May 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

The future of Bulgarian military involvement in Afghanistan after 2015 was unclear, the Balkan country's Chief of Defense Vice Admiral Rumen Nikolov said here on Monday.

Nikolov said at a video conference with the commanders of Bulgarian military contingents abroad that the country's involvement in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission (RSM) to Afghanistan would continue until the end of this year, but the extension of RSM would still have to be decided.

"Currently there is no clarity in a final decision on the closing date of the operation, so we can not participate in something if it is canceled," Nikolov said.

Bulgaria, a NATO member since 2004, has been participating in the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan since 2002.

According to statistics from the country's Defense Ministry, Bulgaria currently has 110 troops in Afghanistan, and another 33 soldiers in missions and operations abroad in places such as Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mali and Liberia. Endit