THE HAGUE, 05/09/06 - About 100 Dutch soldiers are currently operating in the Afghan province of Kandahar in support of the Canadian army. For this reason, the Dutch left their own base in Uruzgan last week.

The defence ministry in The Hague confirmed the "temporary presence" of Dutch military in Kandahar yesterday. They are guarding a post on the route between Kandahar city and Tarin Kowt, the capital of Uruzgan. The Netherlands' support enabled Canadian soldiers in Kandahar to participate in an offensive against the Taliban.

Defence Minister Henk Kamp already said in the Lower House last week that incidental help outside of Uruzgan was within the mandate agreed earlier with parliament. Only if there was a question of structural deployment outside the Dutch military's 'own' province would a new situation arise which the Lower House would have to approve, according to Kamp.

The socialists (SP) had requested clarification following reports that the regional command of the NATO-led ISAF international security force wanted more freedom to deploy military troops more effectively in the southern provinces of Afghanistan. This concerns Kandahar and Helmand, where the British are stationed.