[Tolo News] The German troops plan to launch an offensive in October along with Afghan security forces to wipe out the Taliban from their northern hideouts, reports sayAfter pejorative comments against German troops being too passive to fight insurgency in their zone of responsibility, German military commanders want to dismiss the notion that Germans are reluctant to fight the Taliban.
Germany with 5,350 troops involved in Afghan counter-insurgency fight is the third largest contributor of soldiers to coalition operations in Afghanistan.
In total, 42 German soldiers have been killed in the Afghan war since the Taliban regime was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001.
German forces are stationed in the newly-turned insecure northern parts of Afghanistan, mainly in Kunduz and Badakhshan provinces.
The reports came as two days ago, three Taliban commanders were detained and 17 others were killed in an offensive launched in the eastern Laghman province by the Afghan security forces.