Will Germany Be Saying Auf Wiedersehen To Afghanistan?
MayorBob.
Posted to Politics on Mon Oct 30, 2006 at 03:55:20 AM EST (promoted by Acefantastik). RSS.
The old saying goes "a picture says a thousand words." If there's any truth to that, a German magazine just printed 5,000 damning words on the conduct of the German Army. The pictures appearing in a recent issue of Bild magazine showed German Army soldiers in Afghanistan desecrating human remains they found on patrol. The pictures sparked outrage at the behavior of the soldiers. This, combined with a few other factors, are causing the German government to take a hard look at its ongoing commitment to Afghanistan.
The pictures (link to German language article in magazine with link to video report) show members of the Bundeswehr with a human skull mounted on the hood of a jeep. There is also another with a soldier holding the skull in his right hand and his exposed penis in his left hand. Then there's one with a soldier grinning as he holds the skull in his hand. All five photos add up to a not very savory picture of German soldiers, certainly not one the German military wants to promote. German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said:
"It is clear and unmistakable that this kind of behavior from German soldiers cannot be tolerated. This behavior is diametrically opposed to the values and behavior we teach and train our soldiers in. The pictures provoke disgust and absolute incomprehension."This is not the first such incident to emerge from Afghanistan where soldiers apparently showed disrespect for human remains. Videos taken showing US forces burning the bodies of Taliban fighters created a stir last year. At the time allegations were made that the bodies were burned to incite and outrage other Taliban fighters while US authorities said they burned the bodies because the corpses were beginning to stink. Whatever the reason for the cremation, the incident caused outrage among Afghans with the government filing a complaint with the US government. In this most recent incident, it couldn't be determined if the skull in question was that of an Afghan or possibly a Russian soldier who died during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. However, the damage has been done by the photos which got heavy rotation in German print and electronic media. German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised a full investigation of the incident.
The photos emerged just as the German government decided to extend participation in Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan by continuing to assign soldiers to duty in Afghanistan. However, the decision also included reducing the size of the German contingent in country from 2,800 down to 1,800 troops. German public opinion has also been spun up by the emerging story behind the fate of Murat Kurnaz. Kurnaz was a German-born son of Turkish "guest workers" in Germany who found himself swept up in the roundup of terror suspects in Pakistan in the wake of 911. He was held at Guantanamo Bay until August of this year but, along the way, Kurnaz says he was subjected to harsh treatment at the hands of German soldiers in Afghanistan. The German parliament's defense committee is scheduled to discuss Kurnaz's case this week. These two incidents, coupled with concerns over an increase in combat tempo throughout Afghanistan have some questioning how long Germany can remain in country.
edited by Ace
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