Drawdown is made possible by the positive development of the country. The German government aims to further reduce the troop level to a maximum of 4,400 by the end of the current mandate, provided the situation permits. Neither German troops nor the sustainability of the hand-over process must be jeopardised by withdrawing troops too early.

The Cabinet decision must still be approved by the German Bundestag.

The ceiling on troops will be reduced from 5,350 to 4,900. This figure includes the crews of the NATO AWACS aircraft. The flexible reserve will be discontinued. The mandate will be extended until 31 January 2013. Currently, around 5,000 German soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan.

German responsibility in the north of Afghanistan

In the course of the ISAF mission, Afghanistan has been divided into six regional commands. Germany will continue to be responsible for the north of the country. Regional Command North is based in Mazar-e Sharif. It embraces a total of six multinational Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT). Two of these, in Kunduz and Feyzabad, are German-led. At the start of 2008 presence on the ground was extended to embrace the Provincial Advisory Team in Taloqan. German soldiers are also stationed at Termez airfield in Uzbekistan. 

Hand-over of the first reconstruction team to civilian management

Responsibility for the German Regional Reconstruction Team in Feyzabad was handed over to civilian management under the German Federal Foreign Office on 13 December 2011. This is an important step to realise the Afghanistan Strategy. Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle declared, "This too is a sign that the international engagement in Afghanistan is changing. It is gradually acquiring a civilian image, as we see with the gradual hand-over of responsibility for security to the Afghan side and with the reduction in international troop strengths."

In Germany’s area of responsibility in the north of the country, almost half the entire area will soon be covered by the hand-over of responsibility for security. This also applies to major parts of Badakshan province, including the main provincial town of Feyzabad.

Additional district under German responsibility

On the edge of the German area of responsibility in northern Afghanistan lies the district of Ghormach. Originally it belonged to Regional Command West, but was made part of Faryab Province in 2008 by President Karzai. Effectively it is thus part of Regional Command North. Because it was originally covered by Regional Command West it has not hitherto been listed as an area of deployment of the Federal Armed Forces in the wording of the mandate. Federal Armed Forces missions in this area have been conducted on the basis of one-off authorisations issued by the Minister of Defence.

The German Bundestag has been informed at regular intervals. This will change in the new Bundestag mandate, which will incorporate the administrative decision made by the Afghan side and thus clarify the mandate.

Afghans to ensure their own security

The aim of the international community is to ensure that Afghanistan no longer represents a threat. A great deal has been achieved in this respect.  The terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is dead and Al-Qaeda has no home base in Afgha­nis­tan. Military and civilian engagement over the last ten years have made it possible to build an Afghan state which will assume full responsibility for its own security as of the end of 2014. This target laid down by President Karzai was agreed with the international community in July 2010 in Kabul. Afghan security forces are increasingly prepared to take on this responsibility.

The transition began in 2011. The security situation is becoming more stable, even if spectacular attacks cannot be completely discounted. The numerical strength of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) peaked in 2011 after ten years. By the end of 2014 ISAF should have completed its task. By then the international troops, including the contingent from the Federal Armed Forces, should have left Afghanistan.

That is not, however, the end of our responsibility. German and international efforts and victims in Afghanistan would all have been for nothing if we were to leave the country in the lurch now. At the Afghanistan Conference in Bonn the international community pledged an increasingly civilian long-term commitment, to ensure that Afghanistan becomes more secure and more stable in the long term.

Training Afghan security forces

Support for the Afghan security forces is continuing successfully. The security forces numbered 305,600 in October 2011, meaning that they are well on the way to ensuring the stability needed to build and develop Afghanistan. Experience indicates that in the long term only Afghan structures can put in place a sustainable, secure environment in the country. The international contribution can be to put in place enabling framework and provide start-up assistance. In this way the preconditions can be met for the Afghan government to assume responsibility. 

German police advisory team helps build the Afghan police force

The police force too is to be built such that Afghanistan can assume full responsibility for security as of the end of 2014.

Germany has seconded up to 200 police officers to help, within the framework of the bilateral German Police Project Team (GPPT). To these must be added up to 60 police experts working for EUPOL Afghanistan. All in all 77 million euros are being provided this year alone for training measures, equipment and infrastructure projects. Some of the funds also go to the UN-administered Law and Order Trust Fund, which is used to pay the salaries of Afghan police officers.