Global General
German defense minister on surprise visit to Afghanistan
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-11 22:51
BERLIN: German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Friday, his second trip to the war-torn country within two months.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Guttenberg intended to visit the Kunduz region of Afghanistan, where most of Germany's troops are based, to gain "first-hand impressions" of the current situation in the country.
A German colonel on September 4 summoned US fighter bombers to blow up fuel trucks stolen by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan. The airstrike killed as many as 142 people, including civilians.
Guttenberg's predecessor Franz Josef Jung, in office at the time of the attack, was forced to resign last month over accusations that he had covered up the civilian death toll in the strike.
The German government announced earlier this week that it was considering compensation for the families of the civilians killed in the the airstrike.
"Nobody will ever be able to atone for this. You can't do that," Guttenberg said before leaving for Afghanistan. "If you can find solutions there and seek a way without going through a long court process or bureaucracy -- that would be suitable for the local culture."
Meanwhile, the defense minister also reversed his previous supportive attitude toward the airstrike and said he has reached the conclusion that it had been "militarily inappropriate."
As the third-largest foreign garrison in Afghanistan following the United States and Britain, Germany currently has about 4,300 troops deployed there as part of a NATO-led mission to stabilize the country against a surge of Taliban insurgency.
However, Germany has come under growing pressure from NATO allies to boost its troop presence while facing mounting discontent amongst the public over the military's role in Afghanistan.
