Azerbaijan to double its military contingent in Afghanistan to 40-44

"There are plans to increase our peacekeepers in Afghanistan from the current 22 to between 40 and 44," ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim said.

He said no decision had been made about when the increase would happen.

President Ilham Aliev has sought to deepen his ex-Soviet republic's ties with NATO, promising to contribute more soldiers to Afghanistan as well as in Kosovo, where about 30 soldiers are serving.

Azerbaijan is also one of several ex-Soviet countries that have sent military personnel to serve with the U.S.-led coalition fighting in Iraq. About 150 Azerbaijani troops have mostly served as sentries, on patrols and protecting a dam near the city of Hadid. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/