Azerbaijan on Tuesday deployed a group of 70 military personnel to support the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, increasing the number of troops to 120 from 94.
In November, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that he would increase the number of Azerbaijani troops in Afghanistan this year, and parliament approved the deployment last month.
The 26 additional personnel represent an increase of more than a quarter on Azerbaijan’s previous deployment level.
The contingent includes six officers and two military doctors. They will serve as part of the Turkish batallion and under the NATO general command, the Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.
Azerbaijan first sent troops to the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan in November 2002. The Resolute Support train, advise and assist mission replaced the ISAF in January 2015. Azerbaijan also serves as a supply route for humanitarian supplies transiting to Afghanistan.
