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Frankfurter Allmegeine Zeitung January 6, 2002 German Soldiers to Leave for Kabul on Tuesday F.A.Z. BERLIN. A contingent of 70 German paratroopers is set to depart on Tuesday morning for Afghanistan as Germany's first contribution to an international security and peacekeeping force, Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping said on Sunday. The German troops will be accompanied by 30 soldiers from the Netherlands, Mr. Scharping said at a press conference in Bonn after a meeting with senior advisers, where he heard reports from three German officers who had returned from Afghanistan. The armed forces had wanted the troops to leave on Monday morning, but bad weather was predicted in Turkey, where the troops were to stop on the way, the defense minister said. Mr. Scharping has still not decided how many German troops will participate in the United Nations-sanctioned force, which is expected to number about 4,500 in total. The German parliament has set a maximum of 1,200 for the force. During his remarks, Mr. Scharping stressed that the International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan had a "clear mandate" on the basis of the UN Security Council resolution. He added that the area of operations would be the Afghan capital of Kabul and the surrounding area as well as the airport in Bagram, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Afghanistan's seat of government. Stability for the rest of Afghanistan, Mr. Scharping said, is the responsibility of the Afghan interim government. Meanwhile, 50 paratroopers from the 31st Paratroopers Brigade, a part of Germany's elite Division for Special Operations, were being moved on Sunday from their base in Oldenburg to a military airport near Cologne. The paratroopers are part of a 230-man advance commando that is to prepare the way for ISAF, the greater part of which is to be in place by late January. Their mission includes securing housing and preparing medical, cooking and sanitation facilities in addition to setting up a communications structure. The commando also includes Danish specialists for disposing of mines and stray ordnance as well as Austrian and Dutch soldiers. Brigadier General Hubertus von Butler will lead the commando as well as the full German contingent within ISAF. The security force, which is to be under British command, is charged with maintaining peace and security in and around Kabul for the interim government led by Hamid Karzai. Mr. Karzai's government came to power as the result of UN-sponsored negotiations between leading Afghan political groups after the United States airpower and Northern Alliance troops liberated Afghanistan from the Islamist Taliban militia in the war against terror. The interim government is to run the country for six months. Germany has pledged up to 3,900 troops for the struggle against terrorism. On Jan. 2, six German navy ships set off to patrol seas off the Horn of Africa in what will be the country's largest naval deployment since World War II. The ships are due to arrive at their destination in just over two weeks. Jan. 6, 2002 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/ ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
