Bundeswehr Mission in Afghanistan Extended
Berlin, 03.12.2009.
The German Bundestag debated the extension of the ISAF mandate in a second and third reading on 3 December 2009. During the debate, Defence Minister Dr. Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg gave a statement regarding the air strike carried out near Kunduz on 4 September 2009. A majority in the Bundestag subsequently voted in favour of prolonging the mandate for another year.
The Minister has revised his assessment of the air strike carried out near Kunduz on 4 September 2010 in the light of new information. He first called attention to the difficult situation Colonel Klein had been confronted with: "Let me clearly point out that Colonel Klein has my full understanding for subjectively believing his actions were militarily appropriate in view of the warlike conditions around Kunduz, which included ongoing battles in which German soldiers were wounded and, under his command in the months before, had also been killed in action."
Zu Guttenberg also emphasized he was in no doubt that the Colonel "was acting to protect his soldiers."
Appreciation of the difficulty of the decision
At the same time, however, the Minister made clear that he had revised his assessment after receiving comprehensive information about the incident in Kunduz: "Although Colonel Klein undoubtedly acted in good conscience, to the best of his knowledge and with the intention of protecting his soldiers, from today's perspective and in the light of all the documents, including those withheld from me at the time, it was objectively speaking militarily inappropriate."
The Minister regretted having to correct his assessment of the Kunduz air strike in retrospect. But zu Guttenberg went on to say that he nevertheless understood what led Colonel Klein to act as he did. This was also the reason "why I am not withdrawing my support for Colonel Klein. That would be inappropriate."
Zu Guttenberg also demanded that the troops should be able to "rely on our full support"
and "our appreciation of decisions they must take in difficult situations that will continue to arise in the future."
Majority supports extension of mandate
In the subsequent roll call vote, the Bundestag extended the ISAF mandate by another year until 13 December 2010. The mandate was extended with the approval of 446 MPs, with 105 votes against and 43 abstentions. A total of 4,440 Bundeswehr troops are currently deployed to Afghanistan under the ISAF mandate.
