The Dutch government is to send six F-16 jets and 200 soldiers to Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry said today.
The jet fighters will be under the command of the United States, assisting in its Enduring Freedom military campaign, while the troops will join a peacekeeping force, ministry spokesman Bart Jochems told
Reuters
.
Parliament today overwhelmingly approved a cabinet decision taken last night on the deployment.
Parliamentary approval is needed under Dutch law for the peacekeeping mission, but not for sending the F-16s, Mr Jochems said. The jets would provide air support and would not be involved in bombing missions.
The Dutch troops would be under the command of a battalion from Germany, where the parliament today approved the deployment of up to 1,200 troops for the peacekeeping force.
The UN Security Council authorised last week a multinational force to keep the peace in Kabul for six months, with Britain initially leading and the United States prepared to rescue troops in an emergency.