German Troops' Arrival in Kabul Set for Wednesday

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 08, 2002

German Troops' Arrival in Kabul Set for Wednesday

The first group of German troops assigned to the United Nations security force in Afghanistan is expected to arrive in the Kabul area on Wednesday provided the weather in Turkey improves, Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping said on Monday.

The 70 soldiers, including 50 paratroopers, are scheduled to leave onboard two Transall transport planes on Tuesday from a Cologne airport. They will then fly to Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, to pick up 30 Dutch troops before flying to Turkey and then to Afghanistan.

The group was originally supposed to leave on Monday, but the winter weather in Turkey forced the trip to be postponed by one day. The troops will help prepare for the arrival of the main German contingent, building accommodations, field kitchens and first-aid facilities. That group is expected to arrive in late January. Germany is prepared to provide up to 1,200 soldiers to the security force.

But even though the first contingent is ready to leave, German officials still are unsure where the troops will stay after they arrive. The German Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, has scheduled as much as seven transport flights to bring the soldiers and their equipment to Afghanistan.

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