Afghan leader Hamid Karzai didn’t leave Berlin empty-handed.

After two days of talks with German officials and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the interim leader of the Afghan government in Kabul came away with promises of 22 million euro ($19.4 million) in aid this year alone.

Since the beginning of the US campaign in Afghanistan, Germany has promised again and again to help rebuild the devastated nation.
On Friday the German government made good on that promise.

Most of the aid will go to rebuilding the country’s health, education and energy sectors. The millions will go towards renovating hospitals and providing medicine for the Afghan population.

It will be used to rebuild schools and to buy furniture and books for the students.
Karzai left with most of his wishlist fufilled.

Still unresolved was the future of the United Nations peackeeping troops in Afghanistan. Germany, which has more than 800 soldiers taking part, is due to take
over tactical leadership of the UN peacekeeping mission, sharing
duties with Turkey, a decision Karzai praised.

"If Germany takes this step...the whole of the Afghan people will be happy," he said in an interview broadcast on German television.
"Germany enjoys much respect and confidence in Afghanistan. There's no doubt about that."

German officials ruled out requests by Karzai to expand the mission outside of the capital of Kabul and increase the number of the force.

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder did, however, promise to send German policemen and economists to act as advisors. On Friday night, the first of the German police advisers left for Kabul.