Germany to ship army beer home from Afghanistan

Germany has announced it will fly more than 22,500 litres of beer home from Afghanistan, as Nato forces prepare to withdraw.

Commanders had recently banned soldiers from drinking amid growing violence in Afghanistan ahead of the withdrawal.

Local forces were unable to sell the alcohol due to religious and cultural differences in Afghanistan.

A defence ministry spokeswoman said on Monday that they had found a civilian contractor to repatriate the drinks.

In April, US President Joe Biden announced that all its forces would withdraw from Afghanistan on 11 September 2021. Nato allies soon announced they would follow suit.

Since then there has been a surge in violence across the country. The government, the US and Nato blame the Taliban, a hardline Islamist movement, who they say have so far failed to live up to commitments to reduce violence - an allegation the group denies.