Elite German troops to leave Afghanistan

Reuters ^ | October 18, 2003

[Prodigal Son]

BERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Germany is to withdraw troops of its elite KSK commando unit from Afghanistan, where they have been engaged in the U.S.-led campaign against remnants of the Taliban regime and al Qaeda forces, the weekly Der Spiegel said.

In an extract from an article issued on Saturday, the magazine said the mandate for deployment of the troops, who have been taking part in the "Enduring Freedom" operation for the past two years, would run out on November 15 and could only be extended by parliament.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said it was govrnment policy not to comment on operations by the KSK -- Germany's equivalent of Britain's SAS or the U.S. Delta Force.

The government confirmed last year that KSK troops had been involved in combat operations in Afghanistan alongside British and U.S. special forces but has given no detailed information.

The mission was the first time German troops had been in combat outside Europe since World War Two.

Germany, whose fierce criticism of the U.S.-led war in Iraq led to a sharp cooling in relations with Washington, has often cited its engagement in Afghanistan as proof of its commitment to building global security, if necessary with military force.

As well as the troops supporting U.S.-led combat operations, Berlin is also providing some 2,000 soldiers for the separate International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is planning to extend its peacekeeping mission from Kabul to bolster security in provincial areas.

Der Spiegel quoted an unnamed KSK officer as saying that the unit had not been engaged in combat operations for some time but had been used in special reconnaissance missions to the northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul. "The mission doesn't correspond to our profile any more," he was quoted as saying.

[Consort]