Lockerbie bomber - - and still, as if it were yesterday Deutschland, die Bundeswehr und Afghanistan. For many years this has been around for a very special relationship.
After the terrorist attacks of 11th September Gerhard Schroeder called the "full solidarity" with the U.S. and sent together with the Bundestag, German soldiers to Afghanistan. In the early years there best, the KSK led more or less officially war. The remaining soldiers with the German flag on the upper arm were a kind of technical relief with weapons on a humanitarian mission. For bombs and bullets had faded other nations, mainly Americans and Britons, who is responsible. At least this was the version that the German people were told by its politicians. At the height of the naive do-gooder Close Habes was the division into good and evil (from a German perspective) clear: Americans, Britons and others make in their war on terror (especially against the al Qaeda and Taliban) Destroy what Germany is based mainly in northern Afghanistan as carefully (especially schools and wells).
Said Americans, British and other nations were full of gratitude for this expression NATO scientific camaraderie, and eventually it seemed as if their head-shaking effect in fact over the Germans in the Federal Republic is a long overdue rethink. The Hindu Kush was operated suddenly not only aid but defended the security of Germany and German politicians took the Semantics of war and talked of "war" and "Fallen". The rules of the soldiers were changed several weeks ago and adapted to this new wording: What once required the space of seven DIN-A-4 pages, now fits on the three. The
FAZ reported, ". Limitations or ambiguities are eliminated Thus, the use of firearms against persons fleeing no longer banned, and he threatened to no longer be 'in principle' but 'if it considers that conditions permit." One wonders what could ever be anything but the case and you feel the urge to use the words "German soldiers" and "fair game" in the same sentence, but well ... we leave this
Ever since a few days, probably the last German simpleton is clear what the armed forces since driving in the Hindu Kush so, for these days is a big debate on a NATO air strike erupted (yes, really with bombs and so ), by a German (!) command proceeded. Colonel Georg Klein ordered the attack on two tankers, which had been captured by Taliban fighters. The attack took place in the middle of the night in non-urban terrain and reconnaissance aircraft after Taliban had agreed only and no civilians around the tankers around. Sun Colonel Klein also says that the whole story was mated to 100 percent. But now - depending on which report one believes - and potentially tens of dead civilians mentioned. Defense Minister Jung has denied this and said although the fact that no civilians had been killed. According to recent reports, the Ministry of Defense of this claim seems to move slowly. The whole story happened now calculated in a time when the ISAF chief U.S. General Stanley McChrystal has ordered the extremely cautious approach to air strikes, as it relates to the past were high casualties among the Afghan civilian population, in turn, the acceptance of ISAF troops undermined. Anyway, it was too far out of more civilian casualties than in ground operations, which are now increasingly performed should be.
Now it is just the Bundeswehr, the school be built, white sheep of the family of ISAF, which is in these days in the pillory and be overwhelmed with reproaches. That you expect from the EU in such a case, no great support needs is clear. Karzai also prompt outrage was easy to foresee. Rather surprising since even the critics of the war actually not realistic U.S. camp, from which one would have expected perhaps as little more understanding. In any case, General McChrystal saw himself forced first to a television address to the Afghan people.
The real scandal is the outrage at the Open, left, and other hostile Bundeswehr Gesocks in Germany. The fact that our soldiers at home experienced only "friendly indifference," as Horst Köhler once put it so well, is bad enough. Rightly the Military Commissioner Reinhold Robbe in an interview
about moments of silence at meetings of employers, references of troops in speeches union calls on 1 May and books and films about the armed forces. The least that the army straight from the Members who can expect to command their operations, is surely the principle of "the benefit of the doubt." That for so many blame the army already is established before it was ever proven to some extent, is shameful. If even cut down all the others on it, the soldiers should at least in the home for which they pay the price, you can expect support.
Colonel Klein has probably made the best decision he could make the information available to it. But then that not everything goes perfectly smoothly, and above all civilian deaths, is now sometimes the reality of war. Especially since it is the enemy to people who have forced witnesses to innocent people from the neighboring village to come to the tankers.
As The World in excellent
comment writes: "The command to air attack was not just for the heck and out of the blue, but attacked the midst of intense fighting, during which the Bundeswehr soldiers by Taliban terrorists (and of very real, and not by "presumed" [such as the ARD reported]) to and will provide them fierce fighting. "
is clear but also Who, like the Germans, always the first in the collection of the moral index finger, do not be surprised if the tide turns once