German minister wants bigger Afghan force

BERLIN, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The European Union should plan to send far more people to Afghanistan to train the military and police, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said.

Jung said the 195 trainers now proposed would be inadequate, Deutsche Welle reported. He also suggested that the European Union should model its training on the United States.

In an interview with Die Welt, Jung said German troops are likely to be in Afghanistan for at least five years.

"I'm not saying that we will have achieved everything in five years, but this time span could be a guideline," he said.

Bernhard Getz, head of the German Federal Army Association, was even harsher in his assessment of EU Afghan policy, saying it has "failed pathetically." He called for 5,000 EU trainers and said the government of President Hamid Karzai needs far more troops than it has.