Bulgaria to Send More Troops to Afghanistan

Bulgaria will send up to 335 more troops to Afghanistan in line with NATO plans to boost its presence amidst an upsurge of violence there.

Some 135 troops will be sent to the Afghan capital Kabul in May and another up to 200 will be sent to guard the airport in the southern city of Kandahar in July for a year, a government statement said.

Bulgaria currently has 80 troops guarding Kabul airport.

NATO, which has 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, has appealed to its allies to send more troops.

The Taliban have vowed to step up suicide attacks across the country this year and NATO launched a big southern offensive in what analysts see as a crunch year for both sides.