Bulgaria to send 65 more troops to Afghanistan this year

Bulgaria to send more troops to Afghanistan

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria says it will send 65 more troops to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan in early September.

The government said in a statement Wednesday that 10 of the soldiers will be medical personnel based in Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, and 10 will be instructors for the Afghan army.

The rest will join a Bulgarian unit guarding the airport in Kandahar.

Bulgaria currently has 527 troops in Afghanistan, 310 of them guarding the airport.

The Balkan country joined NATO in 2004 and also has provided troops for international operations in Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia.