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German parliament votes to expand Afghanistan mission

Xinhua, December 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Bundestag, lower house of the German parliament, voted on Thursday to extend Germany's training mission in Afghanistan until the end of 2016.

A total of 480 out of 602 participating parliamentarians voted in favor of prolonging Germany's mandate in Afghanistan through 2016.

The vote also approved increasing the number of German soldiers stationed in the country from 850 to 980.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said it was worth investing in Afghanistan. At the same time, she called on the government in Kabul to consistently implement political and economic reforms.

German troops are stationed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission Resolute Support.

The mission, created in December 2014 at the end of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, provides training and assistance to help Afghanistan strengthen its own defenses. Endit