Mass rally in Berlin urges German pullout from Afghanistan
By Saeid Najar Nobari Berlin, Sept 15, IRNA
Article Link
Hundreds of people rallied in Berlin's city center Saturday, demanding the pullout of German troops from Afghanistan ahead of a key parliamentary vote on extending the Afghan military mandate.
Protesters, among them radical leftists, anarchists, union activists and religious groups, carried signs which called for the withdrawal of German soldiers from Afghanistan.
Speaking with IRNA, an organizer of the rally stressed that German troops have "not enabled the peaceful development" of the
war-stricken.
"Soldiers who lead a war and soldiers who destroy villages don't help (to create peace) ..., said the spokesperson of 'Jurists against ABC weapons', Reiner Braun.
"We believe peace can only be achieved once foreign troops are out of the country and the sorely afflicted country and its people can determine their own future ... ," he added.
Braun pointed out that contrary to claims by the German government, the security situation in Afghanistan has not improved.
"Even the 2005 CIA report says that everything has gotten worse in Afghanistan (since 2003)."
Everything else is "only propaganda" to deceive the German public, Braun added.
The peace activist's remarks were shared by a leading lawmaker of the opposition The Left (Linke) party, Norman Paech who reaffirmed his fraction's rejection of renewing Germany's three mandates in Afghanistan, namely the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the anti-terror mission Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and the Tornado fighter jet mandate.
More on link
By Saeid Najar Nobari Berlin, Sept 15, IRNA
Article Link
Hundreds of people rallied in Berlin's city center Saturday, demanding the pullout of German troops from Afghanistan ahead of a key parliamentary vote on extending the Afghan military mandate.
Protesters, among them radical leftists, anarchists, union activists and religious groups, carried signs which called for the withdrawal of German soldiers from Afghanistan.
Speaking with IRNA, an organizer of the rally stressed that German troops have "not enabled the peaceful development" of the
war-stricken.
"Soldiers who lead a war and soldiers who destroy villages don't help (to create peace) ..., said the spokesperson of 'Jurists against ABC weapons', Reiner Braun.
"We believe peace can only be achieved once foreign troops are out of the country and the sorely afflicted country and its people can determine their own future ... ," he added.
Braun pointed out that contrary to claims by the German government, the security situation in Afghanistan has not improved.
"Even the 2005 CIA report says that everything has gotten worse in Afghanistan (since 2003)."
Everything else is "only propaganda" to deceive the German public, Braun added.
The peace activist's remarks were shared by a leading lawmaker of the opposition The Left (Linke) party, Norman Paech who reaffirmed his fraction's rejection of renewing Germany's three mandates in Afghanistan, namely the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the anti-terror mission Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and the Tornado fighter jet mandate.
More on link
