GERMANY/FILE: Chancellor Merkel testifies before parliamentary committee investigating deadly German-ordered air strike in Afghanistan

Record ID: 575194

  • Title: GERMANY/FILE: Chancellor Merkel testifies before parliamentary committee investigating deadly German-ordered air strike in Afghanistan
  • Date: 11th February 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF US OFFICERS VISITING AN INJURED BOY IN A HOSPITAL IN KUNDUZ
  • Embargoed: 26th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Afghanistan, Germany
  • City:
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: War / Fighting,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADE2R6TO5EL00QWZZ8OBYJ6QOZ
  • Story Text: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday (February 10) testified at a parliamentary committee meeting investigating the 2009 German-ordered air strike in Afghanistan which killed dozens of civilians.
    Merkel distanced herself from comments made by then defence minister, Franz-Josef Jung, who repeatedly denied there were civilian casualties in the weeks after the strike.
    The Chancellor told the meeting in Berlin that she had pointed out to the minister that civilian victims were possible. More than 140 Afghan's were killed in the air strike. Jung later resigned from his post.
    Merkel defended her position that the then "Grand Coalition" of her own Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats did not cover up the real number of victims due to the upcoming general election.
    Germany's then Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier testified ahead of the Chancellor on Thursday.
    Germany hopes to begin pulling troops out of Afghanistan from the end of 2011. Berlin has set no deadline for a complete withdrawal, and has said it will provide support after 2014, by which time NATO hopes to end the combat role of foreign forces in Afghanistan.
    Germany currently has around 4,900 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. Some 45 German soldiers have died there since 2002.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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