Karzai says German Army needed for next 10 years in Afghanistan

Deutsche Welle has the story on this:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the German army would be needed in Afghanistan for the next 10 years, at the least, to keep the peace and restore basic infrastructure.

In an interview with German mass-selling daily Bild, published on Friday, Dec. 21, Karzai asked the Germans to be patient with their peacekeeping mission.

"We need more time," he told the paper. "Rebuilding will take longer than we expected. I suspect it could take a further 10 years -- at least 10 years."...

...Germany has been heavily involved in the NATO-led ISAF peacekeeping mission to Afghanistan since 2002. It has around 3,000 troops in the relatively calmer north of the country, who are largely responsible for civilian reconstruction projects and peacekeeping.

Karzai emphasised that Germany stood to benefit hugely from its engagement in Afghanistan.

"When people in Afghanistan today take care of their own lives, it means security for Europe and Germany," he said. "In places where terrorists and our neighbors try to [steer things], it means disaster -- even for Germany. That means the Afghans have both things in their power: Afghanistan's security as well as Germany's security."...

...Earlier this month, Germany's lower house of parliament voted to extend the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan by another year. The mission has claimed the lives of 26 German soldiers so far....