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German defense minister visits Afghanistan
Kunduz, Afghanistan (UPI) Dec 11, 2009 German Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg has made a surprise trip to Afghanistan as he continues to be under pressure because of a German-ordered bombing raid that killed dozens of civilians. Guttenberg arrived Friday in Kunduz, near where the Germans have one of their largest military bases. The visit, his second to the war-torn country in only two months, comes as the minister faces allegations that he misjudged the severity of a Sept. 4 bombing raid near Kunduz that killed up to 142 people according to NATO estimates, many of them civilians. Allegations of a coverup already cost his predecessor in office, Franz Josef Jung, his job in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet. Guttenberg has admitted that the raid, executed by a pair of U.S. bombers on the order of a German colonel, was a "mistake." He had previously defended the move, calling it "militarily appropriate" but since had to backtrack when it surfaced that many civilians were killed. "I have misinterpreted the situation and publicly admitted that. I'm gladly taking the blows for this," Guttenberg said in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, adding, however, that the public discussion over his role in the affair was "hysterical." Guttenberg has vowed to compensate victims of the airstrike that targeted two fuel trucks seized by the Taliban but injured and killed many civilians also present at the site. "The minister aims for quick and unbureaucratic solutions that fit the local culture and help the people there," a Defense Ministry statement said. Germany has some 4,250 troops in Afghanistan and is facing calls to send more to go along with a greater NATO surge. However, the mission is increasingly unpopular in Germany, with the recent bombing campaign fueling calls for German troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan. Berlin has ruled out such a move, with Guttenberg telling German television that he wanted to ensure German soldiers that "a large part of the population stands behind (them), behind their mission." Germany has promised to boost its police training in Afghanistan and may send more troops after an Afghanistan conference early next year. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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