From Reuters
BERLIN, July 9 (Reuters) – Germany wants to increase the number of its soldiers in Afghanistan by around a third, a Defence Ministry spokesman said on Saturday.
The Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, would be asked to approve a government request to extend the soldiers’ mandate beyond Oct. 13 and make as many as 3,000 soldiers available, up from the current 2,200, the spokesman said.
…
The spokesman said the troops would continue to provide logistical support to the Afghan government in disrupting the drugs industry but would not be taking an active role in destroying stocks of narcotics.
The current 2200 troops already make Germany the largest contributor to ISAF, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force.
Yay!
Bravo.
Good for them.
James
Ah, to finally be able to cheer the approach of German troops. It truly is a new century.
The war on drugs is the one which will doom US’s more important goal of stabilizing the country. 800 extra German troops, who most probably need extra US force protection, will not make a dent in the war against property rights. It will only drive Afghan farmers, whose first allegiance is to their families, into the enemy’s camp. Like every other business across the globe, the narcotis business needs protection of property rights. If the legal institutions do not provide it, the illegal (and unfortunately the terrorist) establishment will be glad to seize the opportunity.
If the war on drugs has been a failure in America’s backyard in South/Latin America, it will a grand failure with a geopolitical impact in a more distant land.
Perhaps, we should start looking at the demand side of the war on drugs and stop burdening the US foreign policy with our own shortcomings.