Germany rejects calls for troops to return to Afghanistan

FILE PHOTO: German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer speaks during the last session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag before federal elections, in Berlin, Germany, June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's defence minister rejected on Monday calls for its soldiers to return to Afghanistan after Taliban insurgents took Kunduz city where German troops were deployed for a decade.

Germany had the second largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, losing more troops in combat in Kunduz than anywhere else since World War Two.