The Netherlands plans to send more troops to Afghanistan for expanded NATO peacekeeping, Dutch news agency ANP quoted cabinet ministers as saying on Thursday. A final decision will depend on the level of support in parliament, ANP cited Economy Minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst and Minister for Administrative Reform Alexander Pechtold as saying. NATO agreed earlier this month to boost its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from around 9,000 troops now to about 15,000 next year, with Britain due to take command and deploy troops in the south alongside Canadian and Dutch forces. But Dutch concerns have mounted in recent weeks about the plans to send 1,100-1,300 extra troops to the more dangerous south in addition to some 600 Dutch troops already serving in the country.
