This month marks the fifth year of the Belgian presence in
Kandahar as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) in Afghanistan.
This
presence consists mainly of four F-16s of the Belgian air force's 10th
Tactical Wing from Kleine-Brogel and the 2nd Tactical Wing from
Florennes providing air support to ISAF but also medical, signals and
logistics units. Since 2008, there have been 15 rotations by a total of
1,938 Belgian personnel and 4,000 sorties totaling 14,000 hours.
The
Belgian contingent in Kandahar was initially accommodated in tents,
which were replaced by containers and since last year has been based in
buildings, providing better protection from attack and weather
conditions.
The future of the Belgian contingent in Kandahar after 2014 must still be decided.
Source: Aviation Week
Photo: Vador
