Berlin says it will keep up to 800 soldiers in Afghanistan after 2014

In an article I read from Der Spiegel International, A German newspaper as well as magazine featured an online article that said that After the ISAF ( International Security Assistance Force) the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan is planning to withdraw NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2014. In the article it details an account of the recent events within the Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry and the Development Ministry. There was a meeting between the heads of these Ministries that was kept in absolute secrecy. The result of this closed door meeting was that Germany would leave 600-800 soldiers in Northern Afghanistan that Germany leads and maintains. This is seen as a bold step being the first NATO country to announce its intention to conduct training missions with the Afghan army.

There are some bloggers who have said that this measure is been done because of the upcoming election. I would like to believe that it isn't being done because of the election but there could be a possibility that this is just for the election. I find it is very important that Germany maintains a presence in Northern Afghanistan because it is a way of not just training Afghan soldiers but a way to train German soldiers in counter-terrorism.