Enduring Freedom

The German government approves a 1 year extension for German troops serving in operation "Enduring Freedom."

The German government Wednesday approved the extension by one year of the deployment of some 500 soldiers in the US-led war on terror, sources said.

The decision, which affects German troops stationed in the Horn of Africa and the Mediterranean, is expected to receive parliamentary approval in mid-November.

Government officials said that Germany could not afford to waver in the fight against international terrorism, as demonstrated by the Madrid train bombings in March in which nearly 200 people were killed, the sources said.

The attacks were blamed on Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

The mandate sets an upper limit of 3,100 soldiers but far fewer are actually deployed.

Germany currently has about 300 naval troops serving in the Horn of Africa as part of the US-led mission "Enduring Freedom" and some 200 soldiers in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean. Both missions monitor sea traffic.