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German officer" Afghani withdrawal would be 'catastrophic'
Withdrawing German troops from the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan would be "a catastrophic decision," Germany's most senior military officer has said in an interview to be broadcast Saturday. Bundeswehr Inspector General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn said the participation of some 100 German special force troops alongside US forces combatting the Taliban was an expression of Germany's solidarity with its allies. A decision to withdraw the German special forces, even if they were were not actually deployed at present, "would send a political signal that I would like to warn against," Schneiderhahn said. Up to 3,900 German military personnel are deployed to OEF, around half of them to a naval presence off the Horn of Africa. The German contribution to OEF comes up for renewal by parliament in November, with the commitment to Afghanistan particularly controversial. Two other German deployments to Afghanistan are up for renewal in the autumn. Up to 3,000 German troops are deployed on a reconstruction mission to the north of the country under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and six reconnaissance jets with sophisticated cameras are in Afghanistan to assist in operations against the Taliban. Posted by: lotp 2007-08-11 |
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