NATO nations (info from Wikipedia)
Albania – 245 (as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website). The Albanian contribution to ISAF operations in Afghanistan currently consists of 251 soldiers in three locations. The main contingent is composed of a company under Italian command in the province of Herat. Albania also has a squad of soldiers under Turkish command in Kabul and a contribution to a joint medical team with the Czech contribution. Prime Minister Sali Berisha stated in an interview he has ordered a doubling of the Albanian contingent to assist NATO partners in providing security for the upcoming Afghan elections.
Belgium – 545 (as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website).[21] The mission is named BELU ISAF 21. Their main task is to provide security at Kabul International Airport, while detachments (KUNDUZ 16) assist in the northern PRTs of Kunduz and Mazari Sharif. In September 2008, OGF 4 started: four F-16s with about 140 support personnel deployed. They operate from Kandahar Airport.[22] The Belgian Air Force will operate close together with the Dutch F-16 fighter jets already deployed there.[10]. The Belgians are planning the send four more F-16s, along with 150 more troops and plan to stay at least through 2010.
Bulgaria – 495 (as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website). In December 2009, the Bulgarian Minister of Defence Nikolaj Mladenov said that the Bulgarian contingent in Afghanistan, which is divided in two military bases in Kabul and Kandahar, will be consolidated in Kandahar and that it could add up to 100 troops in Afghanistan in 2010.
Canada – 2,830 in Kandahar (as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website). Canadian forces have been actively engaged in fighting the Taliban in the dangerous South and have suffered a high proportion of the allied casualties. The Canadian Forces are officially there to help train Afghan National Army and police, facilitate reconstruction, and provide security, but in 2006, with the situation in Kandahar Province turned increasingly violent, the Canadian Forces have participated in several operations and battles since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. The Canadian Air Force have a major presence in Afghanistan, including three CC-130 Hercules cargo planes, two CP-140 surveillance planes [24], six CH-147 Chinook transport helicopters, six Mil Mi-8 leased for one year from Skylink Aviation, eight CH-146 Griffon utility helicopters and three CU-170 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The Canadian Army have increased her presence with main battle tanks, some ten Leopard C2 and twenty Leopard 2A6M CAN, approximately one hundred LAV III armoured vehicles and currently use six 155 mm M777 howitzers in Afghanistan. About 800 U.S soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment from Fort Carson, now under the operational control of the Commander, Task Force Kandahar. The 1-12 Infantry was declared ready for operations since 18 June 2009, and assumed responsibility for Maywand District.
Croatia – 295 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. Troops are involved in three locations. Croatian government announced that it will increase number of Croatian troops in Afghanistan to 550.
Czech Republic – 370 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. Troops are involved in four locations, as of February 2009. The largest unit was deployed as a Provincial Reconstruction Team composed of 192 troops and 7 civilians in Logar Province, in place since 19 March 2008. Four BMP-2 IFVs are part of PRT Logar. Field Hospital at Kabul International Airport was deployed in March 2007 and consists of 81 medical and 13 NBC protection personnel. Eight helicopter pilots and technicians are part of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT). Also, four weather forecast specialists and two air traffic controllers are part of the Czech contingent deployed to Kabul International Airport. A third unit was sent to Afghanistan at the end of April 2007, and involves 35 members of the Czech Military Police Special Operations Group, who are attached to British forces in the Southern Helmand province. Fourth unit was deployed in July 2008 and is composed of 63 troops who are in charge of force protection at Dutch FOB Hadrain in Uruzgan Province.
Denmark – 740 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] The main part of the Danish military contribution consists of a battle group, which is currently operating with British forces in the Green Zone in the central part of the Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. The battle group consists of two mechanized infantry companies, a tank platoon and a flight of light reconnaissance helicopters. The battle group also consists of combat support and support units. In the nearby Kandahar Province, troops from the Royal Danish Air Force take part in manning the Kandahar Airfield Crisis Establishment (KAF CE), which is running the airfield. But Danish troops are also deployed to other parts of Afghanistan. In northern Afghanistan app. twenty troops are serving in the German-led PRT in Feyzabad. In western Afghanistan ten troops are serving in the Lithuanian led PRT in Chagcharan. There is also a small contribution to HQ ISAF in Kabul and to the staffing of Kabul International Airport. In Helmand Danish troops are involved in the worst fighting their armed forces have undertaken since the Second Schleswig War of 1864. Denmark has lost 30 soldiers in Afghanistan since 2002. A recent survey[27]] has determined that Denmark by far has the highest count of casualties relative to population. This has sparked controversy whether Denmark should withdraw troops to more safe regions in Afghanistan. Denmark's leader recently said his country's commitment depends on whether Afghanistan's Nov. 7 presidential runoff produces a credible leader (the runoff was cancelled).
Estonia – 155 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] The majority of Estonian troops have been deployed to PRT Lashkar-Gah in the southern province of Helmand, together with the forces of the United Kingdom and Denmark.
France – 3,750 as of December 22, 2009.[21] The French forces are deployed in Kabul under operation Pamir XVII and in Kapisa Province, a recurrent five-month deployment that was last renewed in December 2007. Six French Dassault Mirage 2000D fighters and two C-135F refuelling aircraft were based at Dushanbe Airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan but relocated to Kandahar on 26 September 2007; from there they conduct operations in support of ISAF. A French naval force, including the Charles de Gaulle (R 91) aircraft carrier, was also situated in the nearby Indian Ocean. An assortment of 200 naval, air force and army special forces personnel were withdrawn from Southern Afghanistan in early 2007, but around 50 remained to train Afghan forces. On 26 February 2008 it was reported that Paris was planning to deploy hundreds of fresh troops to eastern Afghanistan in an attempt to free up American soldiers, who would then be able to assist their Canadian neighbours in the flashpoint southern province of Kandahar.[28] The deployment would mark a significant change in French policy in Afghanistan. The French Prime Minister, François Fillon, has announced that 100 additional troops with Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters are to be sent in the country. According to the French newspaper Libération, Sarkozy is planning to send more several hundreds troops. France has decided to send Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters to Afghanistan in the second quarter of 2009.[29]. According to French foreign policy observers, Sarkozy could decide by the end of the year 2010 to send new French reinforcements, almost 5,000 soldiers more.
Germany – 4,280 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] making Germany the third-largest troop contributor to ISAF. Germany leads Regional Command North, which is based in Mazar-i-Sharif. The task of German forces is to assist the Afghan government with security and reconstruction in the four northern provinces of Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan and Badakhshan. Germany leads the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the provinces of Kunduz and Badakhshan. A number of German troops are stationed at a supply and staging base in Uzbekistan (these are included in the troop figure). Additionally, in April 2007, six Panavia Tornado reconnaissance jets, with 188 corresponding personnel (also included), were deployed to Mazar i Sharif in support of ISAF combat operations in the country. The mandate issued by the Bundestag does not allow the Bundeswehr to take part in combat operations against the Taliban insurgency in the south and east of Afghanistan, other than in exceptional circumstances. However, German troops together with allied forces of Regional Command North have conducted own combat operations in northern and northeast Afghanistan, killing as many as 300 Taliban since April 2009 and leading to the arrest of many others. In June 2008, Germany agreed to send 1,000 additional forces to Afghanistan to safeguard the upcoming presidential elections. As of May 2009, 37 German soldiers and three policemen were killed in Afghanistan, 26 of which by hostile activities. Also 133 German troops and police officers have been wounded by hostile activities.[30]. The Bundestag is scheduled to vote on the mission in December 2009. A temporary extension is regarded as likely. It is claimed that other European nations will follow Germany's lead.
Greece – 15 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website, some of whom were stationed at Kabul International Airport, while others manned various hospitals.
Hungary – 255 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] The Hungarian infantry unit was situated in Kabul, however, on 1 October 2006, Hungary requisitioned its forces and took over responsibility, from the Dutch, for the Provincial Reconstruction Team in the town of Pul-e Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province. Hungary expects to send 60 more troops over the next five months.[31] Since 1 October 2008, their main task is to provide security at Kabul International Airport.
Iceland – 4 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. Consisting of a Mobile/Military Observation Team from the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit at the PRT in Ghor province and various personnel operating at Kabul International Airport.
Italy – 3,155 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] Italian troops currently lead Regional Command West, and the PRT in Herat Province. Although the mandate issued by the Parliament of Italy does not allow Italian forces to take part in the battle against the Taliban insurgency in the south and east of Afghanistan, other than in exceptional circumstances, the current Italian Minister of Defense Ignazio La Russa has officially stated in July 2008 that such combat activities have indeed taken place over the last year in the Farah area.[32]. On September 18, 2006 Italian special forces, of Task-Force 45 and the Air Assault Infantry of the ‘Trieste’ infantry regiment of the Rapid Reaction Corps composed of Italian and Spanish forces, took part in ‘Wyconda Pincer’ operation in the districts of Bala Buluk and Pusht-i-Rod, in Farah province. Italian forces killed at least 70 Taliban [33]. Italian contingent including 5 helicopters Agusta A129 Mangusta, 2C-27 Spartan, 1 C-130, 3 AB-212,3 CH-47. Additionally, in April 2008, 4 Panavia Tornado reconnaissance jets and 3 helicopters AB-412, with corresponding 250 personnel (also included), were deployed to Kabul in support of ISAF combat operations in the country. In February 2009 the Italian government decided to boost its contingent by 800 and 2 more Panavia Tornado ( total 3,650 ) to help out with police training and economic development.
Latvia – 175 troops (as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website) divided between Kabul and the PRTs in Mazar-i-Sharif and Meymaneh as of December 2007.
Lithuania – 155 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. In June 2005, ISAF established in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province, a Lithuanian PRT in which Danish, US and Icelandic troops also serve.[35] Lithuanian special forces were sent south to help the British forces in their spring offensive.
Luxembourg – 9[36] after December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. Luxembourg is working together with Belgium in BELU ISAF 13. The Luxembourgian squad is integrated in a Belgian platoon (two NCOs and seven soldiers) and provides one officer to the staff of the Force Protection group at KAIA.
Netherlands – 1,950 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. The main Dutch contingent, Task Force Uruzgan, consists of 300 troops in Deh Rahwod and 1,100 troops in Tarin Kowt, at Kamp Holland (both in Orūzgān Province). The Air Task Force consists of a AH-64 Apache detachment (six helicopters) in Tarin Kowt and a CH-47 Chinook and F-16 Fighting Falcon detachment (six helicopters and jets) at Kandahar Airport. The command and liaison staff for Regional Command South are also located in Kandahar. An unknown number Korps Commandotroepen (special operations) forces operate in southern Afghanistan as well.[citation needed] The Dutch parliament passed a motion earlier this month (October 2009) barring the renewal of its Afghan presence.
Norway – 500 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] Norwegian ISAF forces are divided between Meymaneh in Faryab province where they lead a Provincial Reconstruction Team; and Mazar-e-Sharif, where they operate alongside Swedish forces. Four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s operated from Kabul airport alongside Dutch F-16s in support of NATO ISAF forces in southern Afghanistan during 2006.[37] Decisions have been made to reinforce the Norwegian contribution with 150 special forces, three Bell 412 helicopters armed with door-mounted machine guns and around 60 personnel from 339 Squadron - code named Norwegian Aeromedical Detachment (NAD) - to be based at Camp Meymaneh for 18 months from 1 April 2008,[38][39] and 50 troops tasked with training Afghan soldiers.[40][41] As of March 2008 the deployment of the special forces unit has not been confirmed due to internal disagreements in the Norwegian cabinet, with the Socialist Left Party opposed to the mission.[citation needed] After the attack on the Serena Hotel on 14 January 2008, the decision was made to send a team of military explosives experts to Kabul.[42] Building new compounds for ANA has been one way the Norwegian ISAF contribution has supported the modernisation and expansion of the Afghan military.[43] Four Norwegian soldiers have been killed in action.
Poland – 1,955 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website [21] [48] most of whom operate in the south-eastern province of Ghazni. An unknown number of Polish special forces are deployed in the flashpoint southern province of Kandahar. On April 19, 2007 Poland took over Ghazni Province in east Afghanistan.
Portugal – 105 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. The national participation in operations in Afghanistan began in February 2002. A military health detachment composed of the three branches of the Armed Forces remained in Kabul for 3 months in a British campaign hospital of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). Followed by a C-130 Detachment who acted from Karachi (Pakistan), between April and July of that year. NATO took over leadership of ISAF in 2003, and in May 2004, Portugal became involved in this new mission with a C-130 Detachment and supporting staff of the Portuguese Air Force, as meteorologists, firefighters, drivers, based at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA). After finishing this mission for 1 year, in August 2005, the Portuguese Air Force took command of KAIA with several of its services (for a period of 3 months), but now without aircrafts. The Portuguese Army began between June and August 2005 the task of Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of the ISAF Command with a light infantry company (alternated 4 Commandos companies and 2 of Paratroopers), and a TACP Detachment of the Air Force. Officers and sergeants of the three branches have served in the ISAF HQ and other regional structures, more or less discreet. Between late July 2008 and mid-December a detachment of the Portuguese Air Force, incorporating a C-130 and support staff in various specialties, like maintenance and force protection, totaling some 40 soldiers, met the new mission from Kabul. In addition to a serious injured and several light injureds, the Portuguese army have suffered two dead, the Commando Sergeant João Paulo Roma Pereira in November 18, 2005 and the Paratrooper Soldier Sérgio Miguel Vidal Oliveira Pedrosa in November 24, 2007.
Romania – 900 personnel as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website[21] consisting of a battalion in Qalat. Additionally, a special forces squad (39 personnel) operates from an unknown location, and a training detachment of 47 personnel is in Kabul under the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom.
Slovakia – 240 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website. Multifunctional engineer company located in Kabul International Airport. Responsible for demining, building and repairing the airport. Slovakia's parliament agreed in June 2008 to send up to 176 additional troops in 2009.
Slovenia – 70 troops in Herat Province as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.
Spain – 1065 troops as of December 22. 2009 Source ISAF Website. The collective Spanish military contribution to ISAF is known as ASPFOR. Spanish forces are divided between Herat Province, where they form a quick-reaction company, an instructors team for Afghan National Army training and a Combat Search & Rescue unit; Kabul, and Badghis Province, where they lead PRT Qala-i-Naw[50]. The deployment involves engineers, infantry, a transport helicopters unit, and a logistics component. Spanish soldiers are constrained by caveats. The mandate issued by the Spanish Parliament does not allow Spanish forces neither to engage Taliban insurgents unless being directly attacked first, nor to move into the south and east of Afghanistan. Spain has rejected three times to lead the ISAF when its shift to do so has come.
Turkey – 1755 troops of December 22 2009. Source ISAF Website. Turkey's responsibilities include providing security in Kabul (it currently leads the Kabul Command), as well as in the as the central-eastern province of Wardak Province, where it leads PRT Maidan Shahr. Turkey was once the third largest contingent within the ISAF. Turkey's militaries are not engaged in combat operations and Ankara has long resisted pressure from Washington to offer more combat troops. In December 2009, after the US President Obama announced he would deploy 30,000 more U.S. soldiers, and that Washington wants others to follow suit, the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, reacted with the message that Turkey would not contribute additional troops to Afghanistan. "Turkey has already done what it can do by boosting its contingent of soldiers there to 1,750 from around 700 without being asked", said Erdogan, who stressed that Turkey would continue its training of Afghan security forces.
United Kingdom – 9,500 troops deployed in Helmand Province as of of December 22. Source ISAF Website."Gordon Brown sparks anger by revealing SAS role in Afghanistan" The Telegraph. November 30, 2009 The Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps have a major presence in and around the country, including BAE Harrier II GR7 attack jets, C-130 Hercules cargo planes, CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters, Nimrod surveillance planes, Westland Lynx utility helicopters and Westland WAH-64 Apache attack helicopters. They are officially there to help train Afghan security forces, facilitate reconstruction, and provide security, but in 2006, the situation in the north of Helmand turned increasingly violent, with British troops involved in fierce firefights against the Taliban and anti-coalition militia, particularly in the towns of Sangin, Musa Qala, Kajaki and Nawzad. According to the BBC, on the 30th November 2009 Gordon Brown has announced an increase in British troop numbers, which will bring the total to 10,000 personnel, (500 extra ground troops, and 500 Special Forces) additionally more modified Merlin helicopters will be deployed. The MoD have stated that all the equipment is ready for such a deployment. The deployment in December 2009/January 2010 will mean British troop levels in the theatre will be the highest since the invasion in 2001.
United States – 45,700 as of December 22, 2009. Source ISAF Website.[21] Around 32,500 are currently deployed in Afghanistan: 23,550 under the command of NATO-ISAF as of December 2007 and the remaining 10,000 troops are under U.S. command to train the Afghan National Army and to hunt Taliban leaders and al-Qaeda members. There is also a sizeable civilian U.S. presence as part of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. In December 2009 President Obama announced an increase of 34,000 US troops from Spring 2010 onwards.
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