German Parliament Approves Extra Troops for Afghanistan

Germany's lower house of parliament voted on Thursday to increase the number of troops Berlin can send to Afghanistan by 1,000 soldiers and extended the mission's mandate by 14 months.>> A majority of 442 lawmakers voted to support a proposal by Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition to extend Berlin's participation in a NATO-led peacekeeping mission, which currently includes just over 50,000 soldiers.>> 96 parliamentarians voted against and 32 abstained. Under a previous parliamentary mandate, Germany was allowed to send up to 3,500 troops to Afghanistan. The vote on Thursday increases that number to 4,500. The mandate is valid for 14 months.>> Troop morale at a low>> The vote comes at a time when morale among German troops in Afghanistan is low as they face increased attacks from a resurgent Taliban.>> Five years ago, when the German army began its mission in northern Afghanistan, the region was regarded as one of the country's safest. Now, the solders run the daily risk of "being caught in an explosive or being shot at," one officer said.>> During the last year, the security situation has deteriorated not only in the north, but all across Afghanistan.>> The Afghan presidential election, likely to shape the country's future for years to come, is scheduled around autumn 2009, making a further escalation of violence in the coming year more than likely.>> As voter registration started last week, Taliban spokesman Kari Jussif Ahmadi warned the population against registering, saying it was a "waste of time," as the militants were set to prevent the election from happening.