German MPs approve 14-month extension of Afghan military mandate
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, Oct 16,IRNA -- The German Parliament here Thursday gave the go-ahead for the 14-month extension of the military mission in Afghanistan following a heated debate. Some 442 lawmakers voted for extending the controversial NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mandate, while 96 opposed it and 32 abstained.
The parliamentary deputies also agreed to increase the number of German ISAF soldiers from 3,500 to 4,500 soldiers.
The overall cost for extending the German mission is expected to hover around 688 million euros.
Germany is the third largest troop provider in the 53,000-strong ISAF after the US and Britain.
Berlin has deployed around 3,500 ISAF soldiers in northern Afghanistan and Kabul in addition to police instructors and civilian reconstruction workers.
Some 28 German soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since January 2002, according to official statistics.
German tax payers have paid almost three billion euros for their country's controversial military operations in Afghanistan since late 2001, according to press reports.
Germany's military expenditures in Afghanistan are nearly four times as high as its civilian aid.
The German government has spent around 830 million euros in non- military assistance for the war-stricken country.
Most Germans oppose their country's participation in the war in Afghanistan.
Germany has also been the scene of popular mass protests against extending the Afghan military mission.
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