Germany rejects calls to send military back to Afghanistan

German politicians have called on the government to intervene militarily in Afghanistan again to halt the Taliban’s sweeping offensive.

Germany’s defence minister has rejected calls for its soldiers to return to Afghanistan after Taliban fighters took Kunduz city where German troops were deployed for a decade. The country had the second-largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, losing more troops in combat in Kunduz than anywhere else since World War II. The Taliban overran six provincial capitals, including Kunduz, during the last four days as it pressed an offensive since foreign troops began a withdrawal.