Germany's war in Afghanistan

Social Democratic Party (SPD) defence expert Jörn Thiessen and his Free Democratic Party (FDP) colleague Birgit Homburger expressed similar sentiments. The government is putting up a smoke screen and is afraid of a public debate, Homburger told Financial Times Deutschland. Germany is conducting combat operations in Afghanistan.

This week, Welt Online reported German and American secret service sources saying that the increasing tally of rocket attacks on German military bases in Kunduz and Faizabad were a sign on the wall. According to the web site, German officers in Kabul are worriedly asking the question: What would happen if 20 or 30 soldiers were killed in a single attack?

Earlier in September, a booby trap exploded near the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, killing a 29-year old German sergeant major and injuring three paratroopers.

One day later, German soldiers attached to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) killed a woman and two children, and injured four additional children. They came under fire when the two civilian vehicles they were travelling in approached a checkpoint operated by German military police along with Afghan soldiers and police.