Spain plans to send more troops to Afghanistan

MADRID, Apr 28 (Reuters) The Spanish government said today it would ask its parliament to approve the deployment of 150 more soldiers to Afghanistan, where it already has around 540 peacekeeping troops.

More troops are needed to curb growing violence in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega told a news conference after a weekly cabinet meeting.

NATO foreign ministers reaffirmed on Friday the alliance's readiness to double its peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan to around 17,000 troops from July.

NATO plans to move troops to the south and east to help the United States wind down its troop presence from 19,000 to 16,500 this year.

Reutere CH GC2009