Germany Seals Taliban Funding Deal

Germany's foreign ministry says it has signed an agreement with Afghanistan to give 14 million dollars to Taliban militants, who lay down their arms, every year.

Berlin says the contract will be valid for five years and the cash will only be paid to militants who lay down their weapons.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said earlier that reintegrating former militants into the Afghan social and political fabric is crucial to stabilizing Afghanistan, DPA reported.

However, the funding goes against the stated goal of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which was to hunt down al-Qaeda militants and to root out the Taliban.'

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