Demonstrators rally in Bonn ahead of Afghan conference

Demonstrators rally in Bonn ahead of Afghan conference

2011-12-04 17:41:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

BONN, GERMANY (BNO NEWS) -- German demonstrators took to the streets in the city of Bonn on Saturday to demand the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan. It comes just days before an international conference is to be held there.

Thousands of demonstrators took part in a march to the city center while some 4,000 police officers were deployed to monitor the protests, according to the German dpa news agency. The rally took place ahead of Monday's international conference on Afghanistan's future.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Germany on Friday for the Bonn conference, which will bring together 85 countries and 16 international organizations. The conference is to focus on the transfer of security responsibilities to the Afghan government after NATO ends its mission in 2014, peace talks with the Taliban, economic development and long-term regional stability.

With some 5,000 soldiers, German troops constitute NATO's third-largest troop contingent in Afghanistan. The German government expects that the last of its soldiers will be leaving the war-torn nation by 2014 and the withdrawal will begin by the end of the current year.

A total of 49 countries are currently involved in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation with a combined force of more than 130,000 soldiers.

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