Germany Deploys Troops to Baltics as Part of NATO's Anti-Russia Force

Germany Deploys Troops to Baltics as Part of NATO's Anti-Russia Force
Fri Jan 20, 2017 12:15:48

Germany is deploying hundreds of soldiers to the Baltic region near the Russian border as part of a force organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The 500-strong military contingent, including 450 troops from German armed forces and the rest from Belgium and the Netherlands, assembled in the Bavarian town of Oberviechtach on Thursday for deployment to Lithuania, according to Europe-based media reports; Press TV reported.

The mechanized infantry soldiers attended a farewell ceremony before their deployment in what the US-led military alliance has described as a “deterrence” force against Russia.

"In the past few months, we have undergone a highly intensive training," said Christoph Huber, commander of the so-called German Panzergrenadiere force, emphasizing that the soldiers were looking forward to the “great task.”

According to the reports, soldiers from Battalion 122 of Germany’s mechanized infantry, along with 26 Leopard-2 tanks and 170 armored vehicles would be stationed in Lithuania nearly 100 kilometers away from the Russian city of Kaliningrad in the coming weeks.

The troops would contribute to NATO’s “deterrence” force against Russia, which is deploying combat battalions in the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Poland.

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