MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) - South Korea plans to deploy troops to Afghanistan to protect its nationals working in humanitarian organizations, the Yonhap news agency said on Friday.
Seoul is expected to deploy over 200 soldiers and some 20 police officers early next year to expand its Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan. The security forces will not participate in combat operations, except to protect PRT staff.
"The Afghan government has asked our government through various channels to expand support for the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
"In an effort to more actively participate in these efforts, the [South Korean] government has decided to expand PRT," he said, adding that the plan still had to be ratified by the national assembly.
At the moment, there are 25 South Korean medical staff and vocational training experts working inside the U.S. Air Force Base in Bagram, north of Kabul.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan of late, with the radical Islamic Taliban group, toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led campaign, staging regular attacks on provincial government officials, police and troops. There were over 70 attacks across the country during the August 20 presidential polls.
