Germany extends troops stay in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): German troops are likely to stay on in Afghanistan as the government on Wednesday agreed to extend its military mandate in the country by 10 months, according to a media report on Friday.

The new draft mandate still needs the approval of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The current mandate is set to expire at the end of March.

Under the draft agreed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet, German troops would be able to stay in the war-ravaged country until January 31, 2022.

Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said the new date “takes account appropriately of the complex situation in Afghanistan and also makes possible the flexibility necessary to be able to react if the volatile security and threat situation there changes.”

With over 1,100 troops, Germany has the second-largest contingent after the United States in NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

Seibert said that the maximum limit of 1,300 German troops will remain unchanged in the new mandate.

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