Germany mulls major boost to Afghan force
Germany is debating a major increase to its force in Afghanistan, a NATO source said June 9, as pressure mounts on Berlin to play a greater security role in the insurgency-hit country.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the government could ask parliament to approve in October a new mandate for a maximum of 6,000 troops, compared to some 3,500 at the moment, according to NATO figures.
Other figures being discussed range from 4,500 to 5,000.
Germany's contingent is based near Masar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, and its NATO allies have been trying to convince Berlin to deploy them to more hostile areas such as the south, where the Taliban-led insurgency is strongest.
But Germany maintains that reconstruction is every bit as important as fighting, and has been reluctant to move them for the 53,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Expansion might not mean that the troops will be sent elsewhere. In April, the German army's chief of staff said he wanted more troops in northern Afghanistan following a string of attacks on its soldiers and Afghan helpers there.
Wolfgang Schneiderhan told the Focus weekly that German operations in the north were stretching it to the limit.
"That takes away flexibility for me to react quickly to any worsening in the situation. I will argue this when the extension of the mandate comes up for discussion in the autumn," he said.
Since 2002, 26 German troops have been killed in Afghanistan.
The ISAF mission will be a major topic on the agenda of talks between NATO defence ministers at allied headquarters in Brussels on June 12 and 13.
Source: www.defensenews.com.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments