Lithuania will withdraw troops from Afghanistan with the rest of the NATO allies, the country’s Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas told LRT.lt on Thursday.
“Same as other NATO countries, Lithuania will withdraw troops from Afghanistan,” Anušauskas said in a written comment. “I thank the thousands of Lithuania troops – men and women who [...] did their mission in Afghanistan.”
There are currently “around 40” Lithuanian troops, according to the Defence Ministry, who serve in Kabul, Herat, and Kandahar.
Lithuania, similar as other countries, does not specify the number of special operations troops on deployment.
“Together we remember the soldier who sacrificed his life in this mission, as well as the injured troops” Anušauskas said.
Sergeant Arūnas Jarmalavičius was killed during an attack on May 22, 2008, while on deployment as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Ghor province. The county’s troops took part in the reconstruction efforts in the central Afghan province from 2005 until 2013.
On Wednesday, NATO announced they would work together to pull their troops out of Afghanistan after the United States announced it would "end America's longest war" by September 11.
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