Soldiers on the streets for at least another six months

The military presence at Brussels’ railway and metro stations has been extended for a period of at least six months, defence minister Theo Francken (N-VA) and interior minister Bernard Quintin (MR) have announced.

“The Council of Ministers has just decided that the defence ministry will remain present at stations and on the metro in Brussels,” Francken said in a social media post.

“The security situation there is dire. The state must regain control of the streets in certain ‘hotspots’. This is not Kabul, Raqqa or Kandahar.”

Operation Urban Shield was launched in April for an initial period of six months at the request of the federal government. The 200 soldiers mainly patrol around railway and metro stations to tackle the consequences of drug trafficking, in support of the police.

The military presence comes alongside Operation Green Shield, which involves the deployment of additional soldiers on the streets of Brussels, Antwerp and Liège to protect Jewish sites and institutions.

Quintin and Francken said the approach had been successful and the number of recorded incidents at Brussels stations has fallen by 11% since the start of Operation Urban Shield.

“The sharpest declines were observed, among other things, in cases of robbery, possession of weapons and illegal residence,” the ministers said in a joint statement.

The military personnel are also being deployed in large-scale police operations, such as those carried out at a number of Brussels stations earlier this month.

The military guarding of Jewish sites will also continue under the extension.