“Lithuania will pull out its military personnel from Afghanistan like other NATO allies. We started contributing to NATO’s Operation Resolute Support together and we will leave together. Lithuania will withdraw in accordance with the operation conclusion plans and in close cooperation with other Resolute Support-contributing NATO allies,” Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas said. “I would like to thank the thousands of Lithuanian service members, men and women, who served in the mission in Afghanistan with honor and not sparing the effort. Let us also pay tribute to the soldier, the injured soldiers, who sacrificed even more, their life or health, in the mission, in order to stand up against terrorism.”
“Lithuanian soldiers that are serving in international operations, are fighting for our security interests: secure allied commitments to the Lithuanian defence, acquire invaluable military experience that will help defend the homeland against adversaries,” says Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Valdemaras Rupšys.
NATO Ministers of Defence decided to start the drawdown of forces deployed as the Resolute Support Mission on April 14. It was agreed to be an orderly, coordinated, deliberate and concerted process with the decisive focus on force protection in every step. It has been agreed to give an austere response in case any Taliban attack occurs during the process.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan is planned to be finished within a few months.
Approx. 40 Lithuanian service members are currently still deployed to the NATO operation in Afghanistan, Resolute Support, which was designed to train, advise and assist Afghan national security forces. The Lithuanian contingent is deployed across several locations: staff officers and MP officers are serving at the operational headquarters in Kabul, logisticians are deployed in the Kabul Airport, staff military personnel are serving at the Train Advise Assist Command – West in Herat, and one more group – in Kandahar.