Without extra money for the armed forces an extension of the Dutch mission in the Uruzgan region of Afghanistan would be irresponsible, defence minister Eimert van Middelkoop is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s Volkskrant.

The minister made the remarks during a lecture in Amersfoort on Monday evening. The armed forces have reached their limit after 15 years of budget cuts, he said.
The Dutch government is under pressure to extend the stay of its soldiers in Uruzgan past the August 2008 deadline. It currently has some 1,700 troops in the region.