Merkel refuses to reverse Germany's refugee policy

Pronouncing that the assailants want to undermine Germany's willingness to help people in need, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has firmly rejected calls to reverse her welcoming stance towards refugees despite a series of brutal attacks in the country.

Merkel said, the assailants "wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need. We firmly reject this."

Talking about the four assaults which took place in the country within a week, she said the incidents were shocking, oppressive and depressing, but not a sign that authorities had lost control, reports the Guardian.

Referring to series of deadly attacks in France, Belgium, Turkey and the U.S. state of Florida as well as Germany, she said, "Taboos of civilisation are being broken.These acts happened in places where any of us could have been."

Like 2015, when the country opened doors which brought nearly 1.1 million migrants and refugees to Germany, fleeing war and persecution, many from Syria, Merkel repeated her rallying cry.

"I am still convinced today that 'we can do it' - it is our historic duty and this is a historic challenge in times of globalization. We have already achieved very, very much in the last 11 months," she added.

The country has been rocked by series of heinous attacks, including a mass shooting in Munich that left nine dead, an axe attack on a train.

While few attackers were asylum seekers, two of the assaults were claimed by the Islamic State.

Merkel's move has drawn flak from people, including her conservative bloc, who have accused her of exposing the country to an unacceptable level of risk without stricter controls on new refugee arrivals.