Originally at: http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=19&story_id=19242&name=US+seeks+Dutch+help+in+Persian+Gulf
19 April 2005
AMSTERDAM — The Pentagon has asked the Dutch government to provide a naval contribution to the operation Enduring Freedom in the Persian Gulf.
Defence Minister Henk Kamp told the Dutch Parliament that the government will decide during the summer whether to provide naval support to the operation until the end of the year.
If The Hague agrees to the request, it will likely involve the assignment of one of the navy’s four new LCF frigates to intercept suspicious shipping and to carry out intelligence gathering. The Dutch may also take charge of a maritime taskforce of naval ships.
The US-led international operation Enduring Freedom started in
October 2001 to oust the Taleban regime in Afghanistan and dismantle al-Qaeda training camps in the country.
Minister Kamp said that the Netherlands considers Enduring Freedom to be very important in the battle against international terrorism.