German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has voiced his support for increasing German assistance to Afghanistan on training and equipping its security forces, local newspaper reported on Monday.
"I am in favor of extending our assistance in training and equipping the Afghan army," Steinmeier was quoted by German mass-circulation newspaper Wild as saying.
The remarks came amid a debate that has taken on renewed urgency in Germany since the abduction of two German engineers in Afghanistan on July 18. One has been killed and the other is still being held hostage.
The foreign minister said Germany could begin considering withdrawing its 3,000 ground troops in Afghanistan only when the Afghan military forces could guarantee security in the war-stricken country.
"If we give up now, then the Taliban will have gained their goal," he said.
However, the newspaper reported that Ruprecht Polenz, head of the German parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke out against repeated calls for more Western troops to be sent to Afghanistan.
Polenz said it was possible that "the German troops contingent could be slightly strengthened," but he stressed the need for Afghan forces to play a larger role.
This autumn the German parliament is expected to debate and vote on the renewal of the deployment of German troops in Afghanistan.
Source: Xinhua
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