Germany to send 600 additional troops to Afghanistan
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, Feb 19, IRNA - Germany is to send 600 additional soldiers to Afghanistan of which 200 of them will be used to secure this summer's Afghan presidential elections, Defense Minster Franz Josef Jung said Thursday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Krakow, Poland, Jung added that some 400 German troops would be deployed to beef up the German-led Quick Reaction Force (QRF) in northern Afghanistan and train Afghan soldiers.
NATO diplomats said earlier that the German soldiers would only be deployed for three to four months in Afghanistan.
Jung did not commit himself to a time frame on the return of the German troops, saying any withdrawal of the additional forces would depend on the overall security situation in Afghanistan.
The German parliamentary mandate allows the stationing of up to 4,500 troops in Afghanistan.
Berlin has faced intense pressure by the US, Britain and Canada to dispatch more soldiers to Afghanistan, especially to southern Afghanistan where NATO-led forces are facing a fierce Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency.
The upcoming NATO Summit, co-hosted by Germany and France in early April, is expected to devise a new strategy for Afghanistan.
NATO has currently deployed around 55,000 troops in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
ISAF is by far NATO's largest mission, and is seen as crucial to the security and long-term credibility of the western military pact.
The ISAF mission was mandated by the United Nations in December 2001, in the wake of the overthrow of the Taliban.
The largest troop contingents come from the US with 23,220 followed by Britain with 8,910 and Germany with 3,500.
American President Barack Obama has announced that he will increase the number of US soldiers in Afghanistan by around 20,000.
However, he has also said he will call on European allies to make a similar commitment.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
