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Even after almost 20 years, the Bundeswehr remains in Afghanistan.
The Bundestag extended the mandate for participation in the NATO mission “Resolute Support” on Thursday evening.
With more than 1100 soldiers in the Hindu Kush, it is currently the largest foreign deployment of the Bundeswehr.
432 MPs voted to continue the operation, 176 voted against and 21 abstained.
According to the resolution, the maximum number of German soldiers deployed remains at a maximum of 1,300. The mandate is initially valid until January 31, 2022.
The Bundeswehr is responsible for one of five NATO areas in the north of Afghanistan.
The Bundeswehr currently has the second largest contingent after the US Army, which has 2,500 soldiers in the country after a significant reduction in troops under the former President Donald Trump.
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The federal government wants to make a possible withdrawal dependent on the success of the peace negotiations between the militant-Islamist Taliban and the government in Kabul.
The SPD MP Aydan Özuguz declared that an immediate withdrawal of international troops before the ongoing peace talks were concluded could put everything that had been achieved at hand.
It is unclear how Washington will behave.
As recently as this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision-making process was still ongoing.
Most recently, around 10,000 soldiers from NATO countries and partner nations were in Afghanistan to support the democratically elected government by training and advising security forces.