22 November, 2006

Nein und abermals nein!

It is official. Despite repeated requests from NATO and the US ambassador, Chancellor Angela Merkel, celebrating her first year in office, has said Germany will not allow its troops to be involved in the conflict in southern Afghanistan. The Toronto Star:

The German military is fulfilling "an important and dangerous task" in the north by providing security and helping reconstruction, Merkel told parliament.

"We don't want to raise questions over the success of this mission in the north under any circumstances, and I see no one who would seriously want to jeopardize the relative security that we have achieved in the north," she added. "About 40 percent of the Afghan population lives in this region.''

"The Bundeswehr will continue to take responsibility there within the framework of its mandate, but I do not see any military commitment that goes beyond this mandate," Merkel said.
What if the Taliban brings the conflict to the Germans?

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