Spain to maintain troop levels in Afghanistan

Spain has made it clear that it will maintain its troop levels in Afghanistan. It comes after two soldiers were killed and four others injured yesterday in a suicide attack on a joint Spanish-Afghan convoy coming back from a training exercise.

Defence Minister, Carme Chacon, flew to the country almost immediately afterwards, to assist in the repatriation of the dead. Speaking during the visit she said Madrid does not plan to add to the 700 troops it has stationed in the Herat region.

Calls for more troops have come from the US President elect, Barack Obama, who says he wants to increase the amount of NATO troops in the country, but Spain says it is ready to help in other ways.

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