Bulgaria sending more troops to Afghanistan

Bulgaria says it will send 30 more troops to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan early next year, AP reported.

The government said in a statement Wednesday the troops will join a Bulgarian unit guarding the airport in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

Bulgaria currently has 497 troops in Afghanistan, with 270 of them guarding the Kandahar airport, which has been plagued by insurgent attacks.

Defense Minister Nikolai Mladenov says that another 70 troops could be sent to Kandahar by the end of 2010.

Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and has also provided troops for international operations in Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia.