Germany to close outpost in Afghanistan: Defense minister
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 5, 2013 3:49PM GMT
During a surprise visit to Afghanistan, German Defense Minister Thomas Maiziere said that his country is planning to close an outpost in the war-torn country, Press TV reports.
On Tuesday, Maiziere told German troops that the military will close its outpost in OP North near the city of Puli-khumri in Baghlan Province in the coming months.
Maiziere is on his 10th visit to Afghanistan.
On February 11, 2011, an Afghan soldier shot and killed three German military personnel at the OP North outpost.
Last November, Berlin announced its plans to close the forward base, along with a larger camp in Kunduz Province.
While Germany’s military mission in Afghanistan is widely unpopular among the German public, most of the German political factions lend support to the plan.
US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan are expected to leave the country by the end of 2014.
The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the pretext of fighting terrorism. The invasion removed the Taliban from power, but the country remains insecure despite the presence of tens of thousands of US-led forces there.
The record-high number of civilian and military casualties in the US-led war in Afghanistan has put a great deal of pressure on NATO member states to withdraw their troops from the Asian country.
AZA/SZH/PKH
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