Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

German Army Withheld Information from US Pilots

German Army Withheld Information from US Pilots, Spiegel Online, 1 February 2010

EXCERPT: "In the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 4, 2009 bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan -- which saw a German-ordered attack result in the deaths of up to 142 people, many of them civilians -- it quickly became clear that NATO rules of engagement may have been flouted. Now, SPIEGEL has learned that German commanders on the ground withheld important information from the US pilots above Kunduz -- information which, had it been available, might have led to the pilots' refusing to drop their payload. One pilot, who goes by the handle Dude 15, told NATO investigators that, prior to the bombing, he had 'an uneasy feeling about everything.' He and the pilot of a second F-15 flying over Kunduz that night both 'could tell the ground commander was really pushing to go kinetic' -- in other words, to bomb. He said they even considered breaking off the operation altogether. The bombing took place after the Taliban hijacked two tanker trucks full of fuel. In an attempt to cross the Kunduz River, however, the two tankers became stuck in a sandbank in the middle of the night. Faced with no other alternative, the Taliban encouraged locals to come and fill up containers with the gasoline. Before long, dozens of people had gathered on the sandbank to take advantage of the situation."

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Related articles:
KSK reportedly had key role in Kunduz airstrike, The Local, 31 January 2010
Afghanistan: Germans uneasy over mission, BBC News, 27 January 2010
Factbox: Germany's strategy for Afghanistan, Reuters, 26 January 2010
Top US general chides Germany on Afghan strategy, Deutsche Welle, 20 January 2010

Related posts:
Kunduz airstrike inquiry begins in Berlin, 22 January 2010
German compensation for airstrike victims moves forward, 15 January 2010
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009
Afghanistan: Understanding German objectives and strategies, 10 July 2009
What does Berlin want in Afghanistan?, 10 March 2009

Kunduz Airstrike Inquiry Begins in Berlin

Kunduz Airstrike Inquiry Begins in Berlin, Deutsche Welle, 21 January 2010

EXCERPT: "The official investigation into a deadly NATO airstrike ordered by a German colonel in Afghanistan last year has now begun in Berlin. It is expected to last at least a year, with 100 requests for items of evidence and around 40 witnesses to be heard from Germany's political and military circles. The inquiry aims to clarify exactly what happened on September 4 in northern Afghanistan when German Colonel Georg Klein ordered an airstrike on two hijacked fuel tankers. Up to 142 people were killed in the strike, including, it is believed, dozens of civilians. The incident led to a major political row in Germany, claiming the jobs of then-minister of defense, Franz Josef Jung, and Gemany's top military officer, Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Besides looking at the exact circumstances of the airstrike, the investigation will examine the chain of political events afterward. However, the ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU) has accused the opposition of using the inquiry to score points. 'It already became clear in the inter-party talks that the opposition is not interested in a factual clarification, but in a political farce,' said CDU defense spokesman Ernst-Reinhard Beck."

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Related articles:
Merkel lacks clear Afghan strategy, opposition says, AlertNet, 22 January 2010
Germany denies report 1,500 more troops to go to Afghanistan, Bloomberg, 22 January 2010
Guttenberg defiant over Afghanistan strategy, Bild, 21 January 2010
New head of German military to be sworn in, Deutsche Welle, 21 January 2010

Related posts:
German compensation for airstrike victims moves forward, 15 January 2010
Germany's DM denies new accusations on airstrike, 14 December 2009
Merkel apologises for Afghan airstrike, 1 December 2009
German troops OK in calling for airstrike: General, 29 October 2009
30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission, 14 September 2009

Tajikistan Fears Afghanistan Fallout

Tajikistan Fears Afghanistan Fallout, Financial Times, 16 December 2009

EXCERPT: "The growing number of refugees fleeing escalating violence and lawlessness in Afghanistan for safety in Tajikistan constitutes the most visible sign of the fallout from the Taliban insurgency that is threatening to undermine central Asia's security, too. Until recently, Tajikistan, central Asia's poorest country, attracted little international attention. A violent, six-year civil war that followed the Soviet Union's demise stymied development. Unlike its post-Soviet peers, Tajikistan has insufficient oil resources to attract big investors. Its economy is kept afloat by aluminium and cotton exports and remittances from migrants working abroad that account for about 40 per cent of gross domestic product. But as Taliban fighters have advanced north this year into the previously peaceful Afghan province of Kunduz, Tajikistan has become the front line between the insurgency and central Asia. In Dushanbe, a sleepy city built as the last outpost of the Soviet empire in central Asia, the only obvious reminder of the conflict a few hundred kilometres away is the sight of European soldiers relaxing in hotel lobbies en route to and from Afghanistan."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
US launching annual bilateral consultations with Central Asian states, ITAR-TASS, 16 December 2009
US: Afghan border threat growing, Al Jazeera, 15 December 2009
Foreign armies will leave Afghanistan though neighbors will remain, Reuters, 14 December 2009
The Afghanization of Central Asia, EurasiaNet, 12 December 2009
While the US fights, Afghanistan's neighbors do far better, The Daily Star, 5 December 2009

Related posts:
The Tajik solution, 26 November 2009
Afghan insurgency seen spilling into Central Asia, 2 October 2009
Taliban growth in north threatens to expand war, 31 August 2009
Conflict analysis: Kunduz city, Kunduz province, 12 March 2009
Afghanistan and regional instability: A risk assessment, 28 March 2008

Taliban Open Northern Front in Afghanistan

Taliban Open Northern Front in Afghanistan, The New York Times, 27 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Far from the heartland of the Taliban insurgency in the south, this once peaceful northern province was one place American and Afghan officials thought they did not have to worry about. Afghan officials cut the police force here by a third two years ago and again earlier this year. Security was left to a few thousand German peacekeepers. Only one Afghan logistics battalion was stationed here. But over the last two years the Taliban have steadily staged a resurgence in Kunduz, where they now threaten a vital NATO supply line and employ more sophisticated tactics. In November, residents listened to air raids by NATO forces for five consecutive nights, the first heavy fighting since the Taliban were overthrown eight years ago. The turnabout vividly demonstrates how security has broken down even in unexpected parts of Afghanistan. It also points to the hard choices facing American, NATO and Afghan officials even if President Obama decides to send more soldiers to Afghanistan, as he is expected to announce next week."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghan Taliban may wait out Washington's "endgame", Reuters, 27 November 2009
US buildup seen as helpful in two Afghan provinces, The Associated Press, 27 November 2009
Taliban resurgence seen, UPI, 26 November 2009
Taliban leader says US faces defeat in Afghanistan, Los Angeles Times, 26 November 2009

Related posts:
Militants deepen their foothold in Afghanistan's north, 22 October 2009
Germans thrust into "war" in perilous Afghan north, 20 October 2009
Taliban growth in north threatens to expand war, 31 August 2009
'Troops moved to south, clashes in north', 22 July 2009

Heaviest Fighting Kills 130 Insurgents in North

'Fighting in North Afghanistan Kills 130 Insurgents', The Associated Press, 9 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Afghan and international troops killed more than 130 insurgents in six days of fighting in a once-stable area of northern Afghanistan that has seen a recent spike in Taliban attacks, NATO said Monday. It was some of the heaviest fighting in the north this year. The operation, which took place last week, was in the Chahar Dara district of Kunduz province against Taliban fighters who had been threatening NATO supply lines from Russia. An estimated 700 Afghan troops and 50 international soldiers, mostly Americans, took part in the operation. A NATO statement said 130 Taliban fighters, including eight commanders, were killed. The statement did not say how NATO arrived at the death figure. 'It is the largest operation I've ever seen in Kunduz,' Mohammad Omar, governor of Kunduz province, was quoted as saying in a NATO press release. 'You've got the Taliban running all over the place.' After the fighting ended, Afghan and international troops distributed humanitarian supplies in villages affected by the operation."

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Related articles:
'Afghans react to possible US troop surge', VOA News, 9 November 2009
'Military measures not enough to ensure peace: Afghan president', China View, 9 November 2009
'Afghan, coalition forces strike the Taliban in Kunduz', Long War Journal, 9 November 2009
'US Gen. Casey: More troops needed for Afghanistan', Reuters, 8 November 2009

Related posts:
'Germans thrust into "war" in perilous Afghan north', 20 October 2009
'Taliban growth in north threatens to expand war', 31 August 2009
'Bundeswehr faces uphill battle against Taliban', 29 July 2009
'Troops moved to south, clashes in north', 22 July 2009
'Conflict analysis: Kunduz City, Kunduz Province', 12 March 2009

Germany: Civilians Likely Killed In Afghan Strike

'Germany: Civilians Likely Killed In Afghan Strike', The Associated Press, 6 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Germany's defense minister said Friday he believes civilians were killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan, but insisted that the German-requested attack was necessary from a military standpoint. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said a NATO report concludes there were 'procedural errors' in the Sept. 4 airstrike, but he defended the decision by a German commander to request it as 'appropriate in military terms.' The commander, Col. Georg Klein, called in the NATO airstrike against two tanker trucks that had been seized by Taliban insurgents near Kunduz, fearing they could be used to attack troops. Although the information remains contradictory, 'I personally assume that there were civilian victims,' Guttenberg told reporters after assessing the NATO report. He stressed that 'I regret ... every civilian victim deeply.' The report prepared by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force remains classified, but Guttenberg was allowed to present it to members of Germany's parliament responsible for military affairs."

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See also:
'Afghan air strike "appropriate," German defense minister says', Bloomberg, 6 November 2009
'Federal prosecutors to probe deadly NATO air strike in Afghanistan', The Local, 6 November 2009
'Legal issues snarl German inquiry into airstrike colonel', M&C, 6 November 2009
'German minister admits Afghan raid error', Ninemsn, 6 November 2009

Related posts:
'German troops OK in calling for airstrike: General', 29 October 2009
'30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission', 14 September 2009
'NATO confirms civilians died in airstrike', 9 September 2009
'Afghan civilian casualties must be cut: US, NATO', 12 June 2009
'UN: Afghan civilian deaths jumped 40 percent', 17 February 2009

Afghan Role At Stake In German Poll

'Afghan Role At Stake In German Poll', BBC News, 18 September 2009

EXCERPT: "Germany's opposition Left Party - Die Linke - has been quick to call for military withdrawal after an airstrike in Kunduz called by a German commander appeared to have killed dozens of civilians. Afghanistan, where Germany has 4,500 troops, has now become a central issue in the campaign ahead of the German general election on 27 September. The German government's response has been to stridently back the Afghan mission - while also hinting at exit strategies. A leaked foreign ministry plan allegedly talks about pulling out German troops by 2013. 'The Kunduz incident showed again that military operations will cause more civilian casualties and we cannot afford to lose any more Afghans than we have already lost,' said Thomas Ruttig, an external adviser to the German government. Fluent in Pashto and Dari, he has just returned from six weeks in Afghanistan, and said the airstrike showed a military surge there was the wrong policy."

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See also:
'The end of innocence in Afghanistan "The German air strike has changed everything"', Spiegel Online, 15 September 2009
'Afghan troop pullout plan sought by German Minister Steinmeier', 14 September 2009
'Germany's top military official defends controversial Afghan airstrike', Deutsche Welle, 13 September 2009
'Afghan airstrike roils Germany election campaign', Los Angeles Times, 7 September 2009
'Target Germany: A second front in Afghanistan?', TIME, 5 September 2009

Related posts:
'30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission', 14 September 2009
'German liberal party calls for exit timetable', 19 August 2009
'Bundeswehr faces uphill battle against Taliban', 29 July 2009
'Militants may plan attacks before German vote', 2 July 2009
'Afghanistan: Understanding German objectives and strategies', 10 July 2009

30 Civilians Killed in NATO Strike: Commission

 'Afghan Commission Says 30 Civilians Killed in NATO Strike', VOA News, 13 September 2009

EXCERPT: "An Afghan government-appointed commission says 30 Afghan civilians were killed and nine wounded in a NATO air strike earlier this month in the northern province of Kunduz. One investigator in the commission, Mohammadullah Baktash, says 69 Taliban also were killed when a German commander ordered the strike on Taliban militants who had seized two fuel trucks. Initial NATO investigations had already indicated that civilians were among the victims. The commander of the NATO mission, U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, has appointed a board to conduct a thorough investigation into the events that led to the strike."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'September NATO air strike killed 30 civilians: Official', Reuters India, 13 September 2009
'Victims' families tell their stories following Nato airstrike in Afghanistan', The Guardian, 10 September 2009
'Eyewitness: "Anger in Kunduz"', BBC News, 7 September 2009

Related posts:
'NATO confirms civilians died in airstrike', 9 September 2009
'Outrage over child deaths in air strike', 5 August 2009
'1013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009', 31 July 2009
'Military: US airstrikes likely killed 26 civilians', 19 June 2009
'UN: Afghan civilian deaths jumped 40 percent', 17 February 2009

Afghan Reporters Blame NATO For Colleague's Death

'Afghan Reporters Blame NATO For Colleague's Death', The Associated Press, 10 September 2009

EXCERPT: "A group of Afghan journalists blamed the international coalition Thursday for the death of a kidnapped colleague during the British commando rescue of a New York Times reporter and accused the troops of having a 'double standard' for Western and Afghan lives. The accusation came as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office said that troops had carried out the raid Wednesday in an attempt to recover both British-Irish reporter Stephen Farrell and his Afghan translator Sultan Munadi and that the mission was authorized as the 'best chance of protecting life.' The newly formed Media Club of Afghanistan — set up by Afghan reporters who work with international news outlets — also condemned the Taliban for abducting both journalists last week in northern Afghanistan as they investigated reports of civilian deaths in a German-ordered airstrike. More than 50 Afghan reporters, wearing cameras and carrying notebooks, laid flowers Thursday at the Kabul cemetery grave of Munadi, 34, who died in gunfire as British commandos launched the rescue operation in northern Kunduz province. Farrell survived and was taken away in a helicopter."

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See also:
'PM ''didn't order journalist rescue''', The Press Association, 10 September 2009
'Raid to free Stephen Farrell in Afghanistan approved by ministers', The Independent, 10 September 2009
'Afghan journalists boycott Taliban activities over murdering colleague', China View, 10 September 2009
'Most Britons want troops withdrawn from Afghanistan - new poll', The Guardian, 10 September 2009
'As Taliban threat to hostages grew, British moved in', The New York Times, 9 September 2009

Related posts:
'New tactic for US, NATO in Afghanistan: Say sorry', 17 April 2009
'Afghan public opinion and the Afghan war', 14 April 2009
'Civilians and the international security strategy', 3 April 2009
'"Foreign forces fuel Afghan extremism"', 23 December 2008
'Afghan MPs warn foreign troops on civilian deaths', 9 July 2008

At Least 80 Die In NATO Airstrike

'At Least 80 Die In NATO Airstrike In Afghanistan', The New York Times, 4 September 2009

EXCERPT: "A NATO airstrike early Friday killed at least 80 people, many of them civilians, in a once-calm region of northern Afghanistan that has recently slipped under control of insurgents, Afghan officials said. Hours after the airstrike, NATO officials in the Afghan capital acknowledged that a coalition aircraft had attacked and destroyed two fuel tankers in the tiny village of Omar Kheil, 15 miles south of Kunduz. The officials said the airstrike had targeted insurgents, but Afghan leaders said the attack killed many civilians who were siphoning fuel from the trucks. 'Eighty to ninety people were killed,' said the district governor of Ali Abad, Haji Habibullah. 'Some of them were civilians and some of them were Taliban fighters.' He said the village, part of the Ali Abad district, is controlled by Taliban commanders."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'German forces ordered Nato air-strike', Financial Times, 4 September 2009
'Nato airstrike kills 90 including 40 civilians in Afghanistan', Belfast Telegraph, 4 September 2009
'UN probes Afghan tanker blasts', ABC News, 4 September 2009
'In pictures: Afghan tanker strike', BBC News, 4 September 2009

Related posts:
'Outrage over child deaths in air strikes', 5 August 2009
'Afghan civilian casualties must be cut: US, NATO', 12 June 2009
'Pentagon reports bombing mistakes', 8 June 2009
'Afghans insist US bombs caused deaths', 7 May 2009
'Civilians and the international security strategy', 3 April 2009