Belgium to send 4 F16s jets to Afghanistan in Sept

BRUSSELS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Belgium will send four F16 fighter jets and 100 personnel to Afghanistan in September to join NATO forces there, a spokesman for Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said on Friday.

"This is in cooperation with the Netherlands," he said, adding Belgium will keep command over Kabul airport until Oct. 1, when Hungarian forces are expected to take over.

The total cost of the extension of the Belgian contribution to the military effort to Afghanistan will rise to 30 million euros ($44.60 million) in 2008 from 24.5 million euros in 2007.

The announcement comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has written a strongly worded letter to Germany and other NATO members urging them to send 3,200 extra troops to Afghanistan in his latest effort to boost support for U.S. soldiers. (Reporting by Julien Ponthus, Editing by Matthew Jones)