Germany to join ‘armed conflicts’ in Afghanistan

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has redefined the nature of the country’s deployment to war-torn Afghanistan as an ‘an armed conflict within the parameters of international law.’

At a parliament session on Wednesday aimed at seeking approval for a military surge, Westerwelle suggested the change in armed forces’ tasks was inevitable if not agreeable.

“Whether we like it or not, this is the case,” Westerwelle told the Bundestag or parliament.

Germany had described its contribution to the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan as a “robust stabilization mission.”

The country’s mission is deeply unpopular amongst the public, and has remained roughly in the spotlight following a deadly German-ordered airstrike in northern Afghanistan that killed at least 140 people, mostly civilians.

If approved, the new surge will see Germany’s presence boosted by 850 troops in line with the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new Afghanistan strategy, which includes an annual 10 million budget for Taliban reintegration program.

This is while the reclassification of the ongoing conflict will expose the troops to legal consequences for their actions, since they will no longer be subjected to the civil penal code, German broadcasted Deutsche Welle reported.

Westerwellehe did not name a withdrawal date as part of the new strategy, which aside from a government green light, must await an annual parliamentary approval in case of military deployments.

Recently, religious leaders in the county also lent their voice to criticism of the presence, with the country’s head of Protestant Church, Bishop Margot Kaessmann, calling for a complete withdrawal just before Christmas.

Kaessmann said German army was now admitting that “besides digging wells and building schools, weapons are being used too.”