MAZAR-I-SHARIF, 26 February, 2021 (TON): The German Defense Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on an unannounced visit to Mazar-i-Sharif said on Friday, that Germany is committed to the peace process in Afghanistan.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the Afghan region where the majority of German troops in the country are deployed.

Germany’s military mission extension in the Afghan area has been given a green signal by the cabinet on Wednesday yet it still got be approved by the parliament.

 “Afghanistan urgently needs a settlement between the opposing groups of its society,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said according to a statement, adding that Berlin’s goal remained an orderly withdrawal of troops.

Kramp-Karrenbauer has warned that a premature withdrawal of NATO troops could jeopardize peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and said NATO troops needed to prepare for Taliban violence should they stay beyond the end of April.

Although, the current parliamentary mandate for the German operation with up to 1,300 troops expires at the end of March while the new U.S. government is reviewing a 2020 agreement with the Taliban which called for foreign troops to withdraw by 1 May, 2021.