Germany hints at sending more troops to Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Germany has hinted at sending more troops to Afghanistan if the security environment in the war-devastated country deteriorates drastically.

The current mandate ceiling of 1,300 troops should be enough for the next few months, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer believed

Deutsche Welle quoted her saying on Sunday:  “we would have to talk about a completely new mandate” if the security situation worsened further.

Her statement comes days after the government in Berlin agreed to extend its military mission in Afghanistan by 10 months.

The draft mandate had to be green-lighted by the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The present German mission expires at the end of March.

In line with the draft agreed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet, German troops will remain in Afghanistan until January 31, 2022.

About 1,100 German troops are currently stationed in northern Afghanistan in framework of NATO’s Resolute Support mission.

Germany has the second-largest military contingent after the United States in NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

PAN Monitor/mud