Belgium deploys 300 soldiers to reinforce vigilance

The Belgian government has decided to "temporarily" mobilise 300 soldiers to strengthen vigilance and security measures against terrorism, the office of Prime Minister Charles Michel said.

On the proposal of the ministers of interior and defence, and based on the analysis of the various security services, the ministerial committee decided to "progressively" mobilize up to 300 soldiers, Xinhua reported Saturday.

These soldiers will be deployed from Saturday morning in Brussels and Antwerp. They will be also in Verviers and in other places.

The mobilized soldiers will be armed and primarily tasked with monitoring some sites.

Last Thursday, OCAM, the coordinating body for analysis of threat to Belgium raised the level of vigilance from two to three on a scale of four, following a vast national anti-terrorist operation that led to the arrest of 13 suspects and killed 2 suspects.

On Friday, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a dozen measures to fight against terrorism and radicalism in the country.