Germany approves deploying 850 soldiers for Afghan training mission

PanARMENIAN.Net - The German Cabinet has approved plans to deploy up to 850 soldiers to the NATO-organized training and advisory mission in Afghanistan that will start work in January, the Associated Press reports.

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.

The one-year deployment approved Wednesday by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government still requires approval by the German Parliament, where her coalition has a large majority. German military missions abroad are typically authorized on a year-by-year basis.

Germany currently has 1,520 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of the security mission that will end next month, a figure that is down from more than 5,000 at its peak.