Germany’s parliament has agreed to extend the mandate for German troops in Afghanistan until March 2018, backing the three-year-old NATO Resolute Support mission in the country.
The Bundestag came to the decision “after a vivid discussion,” the German embassy in Kabul tweeted on Wednesday.
After a vivid discussion, the German parliament decided to extend the mandate for Germany's @ResoluteSupport mission in #Afghanistan until March 2018.
— Germany in Afghanistan (@GermanyinAFG) December 13, 2017
The Bundestag first approved the participation of up to 880 German troops in the Resolute Support mission in November 2014. German troops were previously stationed in Afghanistan within the framework of the International Security Assistance Force mission that ended in 2014 when Afghan forces took over security responsibilities.
The Germans’ mandate in Afghanistan is to advise, support and train Afghan security forces. In October 2016 Germany declared that it would provide up to €1.7 billion for civilian support every year until 2020.
