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Germany won't pull out troops from Afghanistan

German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung has said his country would not withdraw troops from war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Updated on: Jul 04, 2007 10:51 PM IST
None | By , Berlin
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German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung has said his country would not withdraw troops from war-ravaged Afghanistan.

HT Image
HT Image

While attending a symposium in Berlin, Jung said it was necessary to prolong the stationing of German troops in Afghanistan under the US-led anti-terrorist peace mission.

"As long as there are terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, the mission has to continue," Jung said.

He said in order to achieve stability and carry out reconstruction work in Afghanistan the international force first needs to tackle terrorism.

He added that the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) should avoid causing civilian causalities during their operations.

A suicide bomber detonated himself next to German soldiers in Kunduz on May 19, killing three of them and wounding two others. The incident triggered a heated debate in Germany on whether to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Germany currently has a 3,000-strong force in Afghanistan, mainly in the relatively stable northern region. The mission is expected to come up for renewal by parliament in October.

 
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Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and US Iran war Live, get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.
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