Germany to expand army and send tanks to Lithuania as Nato-Russia buildup continues

Germany is to increase its army by 5,000 soldiers, the country's defence ministry has announced, bringing the total to 198,000 in 2024, at a time when US pressure is mounting on European Nato members to raise military spending.

“The German army faces demands like never before,” Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that the army had to be able to respond in an appropriate way to developments abroad and security concerns.

Germany, reluctant for decades after the Second World War to get involved in military missions abroad, has in the last few years become more active in supporting international deployments such as in Afghanistan, Mali and against Islamic State militants.In January, Germany sent a battlegroup of more than 1,000 to Lithuania as part of a Nato mission to protect its eastern border with Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. 

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German Press Cries 'Russia' After Bundeswehr Faces Rape Allegation in Lithuania

The German media was too quick to point the finger at Russia after a "fake news story" emerged about Bundeswehr soldiers in Lithuania, German film-maker and columnist Uli Gellerman told Sputnik Deutschland.Last Thursday, the German magazine Der Spiegel published allegations from an anonymous source that German troops in Lithuania had been the target of a "fake news" attack. 

According to the report, anonymous emails had been sent to Lithuanian politicians and news outlets, alleging that German soldiers had raped a girl in the town of Jonava. 

German soldiers are stationed at a military base in the nearby town of Rukla. The Bundeswehr is leading a 1,000 strong troop battalion that was deployed to Lithuania earlier this month as part of NATO's Atlantic Resolve mission. 

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Afghan Gov't Agrees to Cooperate on Deportations

The German government says Afghanistan has agreed to cooperate on the return of Afghan citizens whose request for asylum in Germany is rejected.

Germany's interior minister says the two countries signed a joint declaration Sunday that will provide a "clear and reliable basis" for both voluntary returns and deportations.

Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement Sunday that the agreement would help increase acceptance of Afghan asylum-

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