Afghan NSC Welcomes Extension of Germany’s Military Mandate
Afghan National Security Council (NSC) welcomed the extension of Germany’s military mission within the framework of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan.
Afghan National Security Council (NSC) welcomed the extension of Germany’s military mission within the framework of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan.
“The people and Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan welcome Germany’s decision that they have extended military mandate in contribution to RSM‘s train, assist and advise mission in Afghanistan,” the office of NSC said in a statement. “We thank the people and Government of Germany for their generous support,” read the statement.
Germany’s parliament has recently extended its military mandate for Afghanistan, allowing the country’s troop deployment to continue until March 31, 2020.
Markus Potzel, Germany’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in a tweet on Friday made the announcement and said a vast majority in German Parliament voted for an extension of Germany military’s contribution to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
“Up to 1,300 German soldiers will continue to train, assist, advise AFG security forces,” he said.
The German military extension comes as recent reports suggest that US may draw down about half of its troops from Afghanistan.
On the other hand, US troops withdrawal has been the main issue during several rounds of peace talks held between the US and Taliban delegations.
US special representative on Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad has said that US and Taliban delegations agreed in draft on the foreign forces withdrawal from Afghanistan as well as the fight against terror groups.
