The Dutch soldiers' union (ACOM) says the cabinet should be clear about the future of the military mission in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. The mission is due to end in 2010 but it may now be extended on a reduced scale.

ACOM chairman Jan Kleian complains that troops don't know where they stand because ministers and other interested parties are contradicting each other. He argues that the present uncertainty is undermining both the mission itself and morale among the servicemen and women.

He thinks the Netherlands cannot leave Uruzgan without being sure that successes will be built upon. Otherwise, he maintains, 21 soldiers will have died, and 200 others will have been injured, in vain.

photo: Uruzgan (Flickr / Remko Tanis)