Germany plans to pull troops out of Afghanistan by 4 July

Germany's defence ministry on Wednesday said it planned to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in early July, after the United States announced plans to pull out by 11 September.

"The current thinking... is to shorten the withdrawal period. A withdrawal date of 4 July is being considered," a ministry spokesman told AFP, stressing that the final decision would be made by NATO.

NATO had agreed last week to begin their troop drawdown by 1 May.

The 9,600-strong NATO training and support mission, which includes the US troops and depends heavily on Washington's military assets, includes personnel from 36 NATO members and partner countries. 

With 1,100 troops, Germany has the second biggest contingent of soldiers after the United States in the country.

The withdrawal comes despite a deadlock in peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

But Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the US decision to leave, saying the terror threat had moved elsewhere and resources had to be refocused on challenges like China and the pandemic.

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