THE FEATHERWEIGHTS—THE BOTTOM FIVE
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images
Singapore
Troops currently in Afghanistan:
2
Fatalities:
0
What they’ve done there:
Last year, a five-person team established a dental clinic and for eight weeks provided dental care to more than 900 people while training local Afghans to run the clinic in the long term. Additionally a five-person engineering team spent three months building and repairing bridges with the New Zealand contingent.
Outlook:
Singapore recently announced its own mini-surge—it will send 50 men to Afghanistan this year. Two 20-man teams will provide healthcare for three months to Afghans and ISAF troops. Two five-man engineering teams will assist with reconstruction, also for three months.
DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty Images
Austria
Troops currently in Afghanistan:
2, sometimes 3
Fatalities:
0
What they’ve done there:
Austrian troops currently help maintain security in Kabul and surrounding areas. In 2005, 93 soldiers were sent to provide security during the elections.
Outlook:
There are fewer Austrian soldiers in Afghanistan than Austrian flags at ISAF headquarters, but the Alpine country thinks it’s important to make a contribution. A report released earlier this year by the European Council on Foreign Relations, however, describes Austria as “perhaps the greatest laggard” in contributing troops.
Armend Nimani/AFP/Getty Images
Ireland
Troops currently in Afghanistan:
7
Fatalities:
0
What they’ve done there:
The Emerald Isle’s Magnificent Seven are involved with staff duties at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, according to a spokesman for Ireland’s Defense Forces.
Outlook:
There are no plans either to increase Irish troop levels or to withdraw, according to the Defense Forces spokesman. The aforementioned report from the European Council on Foreign Relations says the country has “made minimal deployments well below [its] capabilities.”
armee.lu
Luxembourg
Troops currently in Afghanistan:
9
Fatalities:
0
What they’ve done there:
They are protecting Kabul’s airport, working alongside a Belgian contingent. They have also made a few patrols and protected escorts of unspecified persons.
Outlook:
The country plans to maintain its current troop level, according to a spokesman for the Luxembourg Army. A January Washington Times article describes the contribution as “symbolic” and compares it with bringing napkins to a potluck.
Wikipedia
Iceland
Troops currently in Afghanistan:
13 (Iceland has no military, so these are actually civilians that report to the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit, but the ISAF lists them as a troop contribution.)
Fatalities:
0
What they’ve done there:
They’ve run the Kabul airport, employing a boutique peacekeeping skill that Iceland honed while running the airport in Kosovo. Last month, seven Icelanders completed a four-month mission in Ghor province, where they primarily patrolled the area. Currently, Iceland’s 13-civilian contribution is concentrating on development and logistics, according to a spokeswoman for the country’s ministry of foreign affairs.
Outlook:
Scandal erupted in 2004 when three Icelanders were lightly injured by a Taliban suicide bomber. Instead of manning the airport, the three were instead out on a “mission” on Kabul’s notorious Chicken Street, where one had spent more than an hour haggling over a rug, when the attack happened. When they returned home—with two wearing shirts that said “Chicken Street: Shit Happens” on the front and “Survivor: Afghanistan” on the back—they received an icy reception. Many Icelanders take great pride in not having an army, so when they saw newspaper photos of the three civilian peacekeepers in camouflage and carrying machine guns, some accused their government of creating an “army in embryo.” Nevertheless, Iceland may increase its deployment by two or three people, according to the foreign affairs spokeswoman.
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