Germany says nein to NATO

Secretary of Defense Gates has pressed for more troops.
Photo Credit: AP
Related Article: Germany Rebuffs U.S. On Troops in Afghanistan, page A10

Germany Rebuffs U.S. On Troops in Afghanistan
Refusal to Shift Deployment A Setback for NATO Effort


By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, February 2, 2008; Page A10

BERLIN, Feb. 1 -- Germany on Friday rejected a formal request from the United States to send forces to war zones in southern Afghanistan, the latest setback to the NATO alliance as it tries to scrape together enough troops to battle resurgent Taliban forces and stabilize the country.

Defense Minister Franz-Josef Jung said his country's contingent of 3,200 soldiers would stay put in the northern provinces, where they patrol some of the most secure areas of Afghanistan. "That will have to continue to be our focus," Jung said to reporters.

NATO commanders have said they need to add 7,500 troops to the 40,000-member force that NATO oversees in Afghanistan. But there have been few countries willing to comply. Meanwhile, NATO has been struggling to persuade some members not to worsen matters by pulling out.

This week, for example, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper threatened to withdraw his country's 2,500 troops next year from around Kandahar -- a major hot spot -- unless they receive reinforcements. Following a rise in casualties, the Dutch and British governments are also facing domestic pressure to reduce their military presence in southern Afghanistan.
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I hope the US government, Canadian government, UK government is gearing up for a lot more wounded and a lot more with PTSD with the bombs going off and Taliban taking back what they lost before. This is not good.