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US reiterates demands for more German combat troops in Afghanistan

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, Feb 7, IRNA
Germany-US-Afghanistan
The United States has again called on Germany o send more combat troops to Afghanistan, only a day after Berlin agreed to take over the Afghan Quick Reaction Force (QRF) this summer, the Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said in a report due to hit the newsstands on Friday.

The Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told the paper that Germany and several other European countries, among them Spain, Italy and France should deploy more forces in Afghanistan, especially in the southern and eastern part of the war-stricken country .

Burns who is scheduled to depart the State Department by the end of March, referred to earlier calls by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for additional 3,200 German troops, including combat forces, helicopters and parachutists, to replace US counter- insurgency soldiers battling Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.

Germany agreed to a NATO request to replace Norway as the lead nation of the QRF in Afghanistan, Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung announced at a news conference in Berlin on Wednesday.

He said around 200 German combat forces will be in the QRF following the handover of the 250-strong Norwegian military contingent.

Jung emphasized that the German QRF deployment in northern Afghanistan was a "military necessity", adding that details of the German QRF were still in the planning phase.

Around 3,200 German soldiers are presently based in relatively secure northern Afghanistan as well as in and around Kabul within the framework of the International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) mission.

The minister rejected once again US, British and Dutch calls for relocating German troops from north Afghanistan to the southern part of the war-stricken country where NATO forces are battling a revitalized Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency.

"Our concentration is on the north," he added.

Jung warned against neglecting northern Afghanistan and focusing too much on the southern region, pointing to a worsening of the security situation in north Afghanistan, especially in the area of Kunduz.

"It is not responsible, also in military terms, to allow gaps in the north," he emphasized.

The minister announced also plans to widen its air transport capacities, increasing the number of Transall planes from six to eight.

Jung dismissed also demands for a massive increase in the number of ISAF troops in Afghanistan, referring to the fact the overall number of ISAF forces had been recently raised from 40,000 to 50,000.

"A massive strengthening of (ISAF) troops is not appropriate," the German official said.

Jung called also for a strengthening of training for Afghan army and police units.

He made clear that NATO's Afghanistan mission could not be won by military means alone but had to also center on boosting the civilian rebuilding efforts in the war-rigged country.

The German official stressed that the key to winning the Afghan campaign was to win the 'hearts and minds' of the Afghan nation.

The minister urged also "strategic political and military concept" for Afghanistan.

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