The Bulgaria contingent, which is part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, is going to assume control of the airport in the country's second largest city Kandahar.

The Bulgarian troops will be in charge of guarding the airport and its access points. Bulgaria's government decided Thursday during its regular weekly meeting that it would send 50 Bulgarian troops to Afghanistan, who will take control of the airport checkpoint.

There is currently a 220-strong Bulgarian mechanized unit stationed in Kandahar, which is guarding the internal part of the airport.

The southern city of Kandahar is known as one of the Talibans' bastions, where terrorist attacks are carried out on a daily basis.

At the same time, Bulgaria is pulling out its mechanized unit from the "Capital" regional command of the ISAF, and is going to send another 70-strong unit, which will guard the Warehouse Base, convoying, and servicing a checkpoint.

The Bulgarian contingent in Afghanistan numbers a total of 420 troops. After the cabinet's decisions on Thursday, it will grow up to 500 troops.

The ISAF currently has 53 000 troops from 40 different countries stationed in Afghanistan.

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