Lawmakers approve German participation in new Afghan training and advisory mission
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Lawmakers have given the go-ahead for Germany to contribute up to 850 soldiers to the NATO-organized training and advisory mission in Afghanistan that will start work next month.
The lower house of Parliament voted 473-102 on Thursday to support the deployment, with 18 abstentions, the news agency dpa reported. German military missions abroad require parliamentary approval.
Germany has been a major troop contributor in Afghanistan's comparatively calm north over the past decade and will continue to be responsible for that region in the new mission, called Resolute Support.
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Germany currently has 1,183 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of the security mission that is now coming to an end, a figure that is down from more than 5,000 at its peak.