(ANSA) Herat, March 18 - Crack Italian Alpine troops from
the Julia regiment began Italy's final tour of peace-keeping
duty in western Afghanistan Wednesday after relieving a
contingent of plume-helmetted Bersaglieri.
The hand-over as Italy's mission 'Resolute Support'
approaches its end in October comes after 10 years of Italian
peacekeeping in the war-torn country that has cost 54 Italian
lives and wounded many others.
After October Italy will retain only around 70 soldiers in
the Kabul area, military sources said.
At a handover ceremony Gen. Maurizio Scardino, commanding
officer of the Garibaldi regiment of Bersaglieri, passed the
baton to Gen. Michele Risi of the Julia regiment, meaning some
500 Italian troops will be in Afghanistan over the next six
months compared to as many as 4,200 deployed in Afghanistan at
the height of the Italian deployment.
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