German troops could leave Afghanistan as early as July 4

The German military plans to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by as early as July 4, dpa news agency reported.

This is earlier than previously planned, the Defence Ministry informed Germany’s parliament on Wednesday.

According to dpa, the German military is currently holding talks with partners in NATO that could see Germany’s 1,100 troops leave by July 4.

The United States and NATO have set their final withdrawal date as September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

A Defence Ministry spokesman told dpa that the countries involved were currently examining the challenges and consequences of withdrawing troops and that July 4 was being considered as the final pull-out date. The final decision lay with NATO, he added.

Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer previously set mid-August as the deadline.

The Defence Ministry spokesman highlighted the logistical challenges, with most of the equipment being returned to Germany by air.

Earlier plans suggested that some equipment could be abandoned in the country, with equipment seen as a security risk destroyed.