Germany says U.S. to keep up to 12,000 troops in Afghanistan![]() February 22, 2013 - 17:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Germany's Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Friday, Feb 22, that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told NATO allies gathered in Brussels that the United States would keep between 8,000 and 12,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014, when the NATO combat mission is due to end, Reuters reported. "The American defense secretary announced that the United States will be in a magnitude of 8,000 to 12,000 troops involved in Afghanistan" post-2014, the German minister said. Reuters says Panetta or his aides were not immediately available to comment. He was due to address a news conference shortly. Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. Partner news |