KABUL - Germany's defense minister, Thomas de Maizière, said on Saturday that 100 German troops will leave Afghanistan in January.
Germany has about 5,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in northern Kunduz province. The country has lost 53 soldiers in Afghanistan during the course of the 10-year war.

NATO has said that foreign combat troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

NATO foreign ministers in Brussels recently pledged that the alliance will continue to support Afghanistan after foreign combat troops leave.

There are about 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan fighting insurgents. About 90,000 of those are from the US.