US donates 20 aircrafts to Afghanistan
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The United States, as part of its efforts to boost the capacity of the fledgling Afghanistan Air Force, pledged on Sunday to donate 20 aircrafts and of these two C-27 have been handed to Afghanistan.
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An Afghan soldier stands guard in front a C-27A transport aircraft which was given by the US military, in Kabul November 15, 2009. The U.S. military will give Afghanistan 20 refurbished transport planes over the next two years, US and Afghan officials said on Sunday, doubling the size of its depleted air force. [Xinhua] |
The remaining 18 more aircrafts would be handed over to Afghanistan within the next two years.
Speaking on the occasion, Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak thanked the US for its contribution and stressed for more support, saying Afghanistan wants US and other NATO nations to help strengthen Afghan national forces.
US Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) General Stanley McChrystal in his remarks reassured supporting Afghan troops.
The strength of the national army of post-conflict Afghanistan is currently more than 80,000 troops and it is going to reach 134,000 by 2001.
Afghanistan at present has an Air Corps with some three dozen Russian-built helicopters and transport planes contributed by US and its allied nations.
The United States has already provided some 600 pieces of Armored Personnel Carrier (APCs) Humvees and more than 6,000 M16 rifles to Afghan soldiers in efforts to replace the Russian-built Ak-47s used for decades by forces.
Afghanistan is said to have 150 aircrafts by 2016.
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