Berlin:
Germany’s defence ministry on Wednesday mentioned it planned to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in early July, following the United States announced plans to pull out by September 11.
“The current thinking… is to shorten the withdrawal period. A withdrawal date of July 4 is being considered,” a ministry spokesman told AFP, stressing that the final choice would be produced by NATO.
NATO had agreed last week to commence their troop drawdown by May 1.
The 9,600-sturdy NATO instruction and assistance mission, which incorporates the US troops and depends heavily on Washington’s military assets, incorporates personnel from 36 NATO members and companion nations.
With 1,one hundred troops, Germany has the second most significant contingent of soldiers following the United States in the nation.
The withdrawal comes in spite of a deadlock in peace talks in between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the US choice to leave, saying the terror threat had moved elsewhere and sources had to be refocused on challenges like China and the pandemic.
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