| |
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Commitment to Afghanistan Mission Reiterated After Death of Soldiers German leaders are mourning the death of German soldiers and Afghan civilians in a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan on Saturday, May 19. At the same time, the German Government wants to continue the Bundeswehr deployment in Afghanistan to help stabilize and rebuild the country. There is no alternative. “Our deepest sympathy goes to the loved ones of our soldiers and of the murdered Afghan civilians,” Chancellor Merkel said immediately after learning of the perdidious attack. Three German soldiers and eight Afghan civilians were killed in the attack in central Kunduz. Two soldiers and an Afghan translator were gravely injured; three German soldiers sustained minor injuries. The blast also injured 16 civilians. The soldiers were on routine patrol in the city when a suicide bomber detonated himself next to them. The injured soldiers were flown by MedEvac out of Afghanistan and are undergoing treatment in the Bundeswehr hospital in Koblenz. A funeral service for the three killed will take place later this week. Crucial mission While they mourned the casualties and condemned the attack, leaders reiterated the commitment of Germany’s Armed Forces to the support the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan. “The attackers aim to destroy all the progress achieved to date in the reconstruction process,” Chancellor Merkel said. “The international community is absolutely determined to continue to help the people of Afghanistan build a better future for their country.” Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier pointed out the mission’s danger and its importance: “The attack is a further demonstration that supposedly trouble-free or safe areas in Afghanistan do not exist. The mission the Federal Armed Forces have assumed in the north of Afghanistan is a crucial contribution to stabilizing the whole country.” There is, unfortunately, no complete protection against suicide attacks, Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told the Leipziger Volkszeitung. “We have to win the people’s trust,” Jung said of the mission in Afghanistan. “That’s why it is imperative to get out of the armored vehicles.” Long German commitment Germany has been part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since December 22, 2001. The current mandate runs through October 13, 2007. With more than 3,000 soldiers, Germany is the third largest troop contributor to ISAF. A total of 26 NATO members and 11 non-members are contributing 37,000 soldiers to ISAF. The main part of Germany’s contribution is focused on northern Afghanistan and Kabul. Since June 1, 2006, Germany has been militarily responsible for the northern part of the country, with leadership responsibility for about 3,400 ISAF soldiers from 13 nations. The Regional Command North is stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif. In the region, five provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) (two German, one Norwegian, one Swedish and on Hungarian) are making an important contribution. May 21, 2007 Links
|
|
 Newsletters
 Printer-Friendly
Page
Email This Article |
||
|
|||||
|
|||||
