The German Cabinet has approved sending more soldiers to Afghanistan in 2015. The NATO-led mission follows a 13-year combat tour and is aimed at training Afghan security forces, reports GHN based on DW.
Approval for a new mandate for Germany's Afghanistan mission in 2015 was pushed one step forward by the German Cabinet on Wednesday.
Germany, like other countries participating in the NATO-led combat mission, is reducing its number of personnel stationed in Afghanistan with the mission scheduled to end on December 31.
As of January 1, the remaining German military presence will act under a new training mission dubbed "Resolute Support."
Berlin had originally foreseen between 600 and 800 troops for the non-combat campaign. However, the new mandate increases the limit to 850 military personnel, citing the need for more staff to provide support to helicopter evacuations.
Over 1,500 German soldiers are currently stationed in Afghanistan's north, where they will retain their role as the leading foreign military force in that region next year. Their new mandate foresees an advisory and support role to Afghan security forces, which they will also provide with training.
While it is "not a combat mission," the mandate approved by the Cabinet notes that German troops could engage in fighting if their own security or the security of other NATO partners is threatened.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) currently has over 34,000 NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan. Following the withdrawal of troops in the coming weeks, the number will be reduced to 12,000 troops for the training mission. The United States has committed nearly 10,000 of its own troops to "Resolute Support."
