Germany pays tribute to troops who served in Afghanistan

Germany’s leaders are paying tribute to its troops who served over nearly 20 years in Afghanistan

BERLIN -- Germany's leaders paid tribute Wednesday to its troops that served over nearly 20 years in Afghanistan, and the country's president said the German answer to the mission's disappointing end must not be “resignation and retreat” from global affairs.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other top officials joined a final roll call for the troops at the Defense Ministry in Berlin. A military tattoo in front of the Reichstag parliament building was planned Wednesday evening.

More than 150,000 German troops served in Afghanistan between the beginning of 2002 and their final withdrawal this summer. Germany was in recent years the second-biggest troop provider after the United States. Fifty-nine German troops died in Afghanistan missions over the years.

Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr, brought home its last troops from northern Afghanistan, long the focus of the country's deployment, in late June.