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On January 16, Germany’s military force, the Bundeswehr, issued a statement indicating that 250 German troops will be deployed to Afghanistan with a specific combat role. Social Democratic Party chief defense spokesman Rainer Arnold “announced that the German army had begun making preparations for the deployment … adding that the mission, slated to start in July, signaled a ‘new quality’ in the German engagement in Afghanistan. Part of the new mission could include pursuing terrorists ….”
According to the Guardian newspaper, “Naumann delivered a blistering attack on his own country’s performance in Afghanistan. ‘The time has come for Germany to decide if it wants to be a reliable partner.’ By insisting on ‘special rules’ for its forces in Afghanistan, the Merkel government in Berlin was contributing to ‘the dissolution of nato’”