Defense ministers of Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovenia agreed on the details of the mission, which will train the nascent Afghan military police.

The Croatian-led team will initially number about 40 members, although this may increase with time, officials said.

The former Yugolav states believe they can contribute significantly to the project given their unique experience forged in civil conflicts which in some respects are similar to the situation in Afghanistan.

“It’s an important agreement for the entire Balkan region,” Montenegro’s Defense Minister Bozo Vucinic said. “Although some of these countries were in conflict in the 1990s, they are now contributing to the security of another country at war.”

In addition to contributing to the NATO effort, these Balkan neighbors are also hoping to shed the international perception that theirs is a region of age-old hatreds and instability, and to highlight the steady improvement in the their relations.

Officials said the door also remains open for Serbia — accused as the aggressor in the Balkan wars — where many remain wary of engagement in NATO operations after being bombed by the military alliance during the 1999 Kosovo conflict.

NATO has placed a high priority on training and equipping the Afghan security forces, which are due to take up all combat duties and enable the withdrawal of the international force by 2014.

Afghanistan’s security forces, which currently number 306,000 soldiers and police, will grow to over 360,000 next year.

NATO, which still has over 4,000 peacekeepers in Kosovo, immediately welcomed the agreement.

“It is good for the countries who are participating, good for the people of Afghanistan and good for our (NATO) partners,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said. “It shows that together we can do more than we could manage alone.”