US wants up to 2,500 more German troops

Published: 2 Dec 09 09:00 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20091202-23659.html

The US expects Germany to contribute up to another 2,500 troops to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, daily Bild reported on Wednesday following US President Barack Obama’s major policy speech.

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Such an increase would require parliamentary approval and mean a total contribution of up to 6,000 German troops.

However, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she would not decide increasing troops until after a January 28 international conference on the situation in Afghanistan.

"After this conference on Afghanistan, Germany will decide whether or not it will make fresh efforts, and if so, what efforts," Merkel said, adding that security problems in Afghanistan would not be solved by military means alone.

According to daily Leipziger Volkszeitung, Obama wants Germany to add thousand of troops to the war effort and increase their geographical span to include the south and east. Currently German troops are stationed only in the relatively peaceful north of the country. The new troops would reportedly take part in an springtime offensive against insurgents next year.

The government source also told the paper that that Obama expected Bundeswehr soldiers to take part in “strengthening the international combat strength” and not just train Afghan police and military forces as it has in the past.

During his policy speech on Tuesday Obama committed the US to a troop increase of 30,000 in Afghanistan, but said forces would begin pulling out of the country by July 2011.

In November the German government extended its mandate for their unpopular Afghan military mission for one year. Some 4,500 Bundeswehr soldiers are currently serving in Afghanistan in the army's heaviest fighting since World War II.

AFP/DDP/DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

11:17 December 2, 2009 by moistvelvet

Nevermind 2,500, could say that asking for 25'000 German troops wouldn't change anything unless they are allowed to be used as combat effective troops and make a real contribution to NATO.

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18:57 December 2, 2009 by pepsionice

Merkel won't sign up (my wager).....and she's probably going to start thinking of removing her troops by end of 2010. This is now a losing hand.....for all the players. I would say the shift of support has finally come and gone.....even amongst most US troops....the Afghan episode has soured because of comments made in the press and by the Administration.

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23:36 December 2, 2009 by lordwilliams629

I hate to say it, but afghanitsan is lost. The president is getting troops out in 2011 and in his speech he said nothing about winning, its lost. If america had a better president this can be won, but this president's agenda is more about taking over american business and turning america into a dictatorship. just today him and his gang of thugs in washington just passed a bill giving the goverment the right to go in and breakup private corperation's if they feel the corp is getting to big, and in part of that bill the goverment now has the right to take money from a company thats doing well and give it to failing companys. America is in the dawn of becoming a fascist state.

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20:57 December 4, 2009 by Major B

Thankfully there are educated and noble U.S. citizens who can think and communicate their ideas coherently. It seems that during tough economic times in America the disenchanted like the person above will just spout off the first thing that comes to their heads. Just what does any of the comments above have to do with a request for additional troops from Germany? Nothing!!! There are other sites for the the hate group folks, the hard right-wing, and the neo-Nazis where they can commiserate together. He obviously didn't read or hear the U.S. President's speech and doesn't comprehend the issues at all.

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US wants up to 2,500 more German troops

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