News - Afghanistan

The International Community and Germany would not leave Afghanistan after 2014, but there will be a shift in type of cooperation, German Foreign Ministers said in Kabul on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul said talks on coming Bonn conference have taken place between him and German Foreign Minister.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle arrived in Kabul on Thursday in a previously unannounced trip to Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference with his Afghan counterpart, Mr Guido Westerwelle emphasised that the International Community would never leave Afghanistan alone, instead it would continue assistance to the country.

"Today our cooperation takes a different colour. Given the security transition process to Afghan forces I would like to say we will understand our responsibilities in Afghanistan beyond 2014 and will not leave the country," German Foreign Minister said.

While he accepted there will be challenges in the transition process, he said the process will be completed based on targeted timeline in coordination with the Afghan government.

He said Germany is fully prepared to host the forthcoming Bonn Conference due in a couple of months.

Security handover to Afghan security forces, security maintenance and the process of reconstruction in Afghanistan would be the top agenda in the Bonn Conference, he said.

Germany with nearly 5,000 soldiers in the north under Nato command is the third-biggest troop contributing nation to counterinsurgency mission in Afghanistan.

Germany is planning to start pulling its troops out of Afghanistan by the beginning of next year.

A total of 53 German soldiers have lost their lives since the start of their engagement in combat in the country, according to the icasualties.org, a website that tracks the death of foreign troops in Afghanistan.