Nato ministers expected to announce Afghan mission expansion

Nato defence ministers were today expected to approve an extension of the alliance’s Afghan security mission across the whole of the country, taking in the volatile eastern region and bringing around 10,000 US troops under allied command.

Diplomats said the move had been discussed at an early morning meeting of ambassadors at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and was likely to be announced during the ministers’ talks in the Slovenian resort of Portoroz.