NATO member states decided to send additional 7 thousand troops to Afghanistan following the meeting of NATO foreign ministers’ in Brussels.

Thus, overall number of NATO troops in Afghanistan will reach 37 thousand, including the U.S. contingent.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated that 25 countries already declared their intention to increase military presence next year, except for Germany and France. Besides, U.S. government attempts “to dissuade two other major contributors — Canada and the Netherlands — from their plans to pull out within two years,” the Washington Post reads.

The decision was approved by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This Friday she stated that struggle against Talibs in Afghanistan will become a “crucial test for NATO.”