Afghan Official: German troops in Kunduz are battle-shy

Nov 21, 2009, 8:20 GMT

Berlin - German troops are too slow into battle to effectively provide security in northern Afghanistan, the governor of Kunduz province told news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday.

Mohammed Omar said that in Kunduz, where Germany has up to 4,500 soldiers as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), security had improved in the six years of the deployment.

'But the problem is that the commanders are rotated every three to six months. Some are very experienced, but some are very hesitant.'

Germany has stricter rules of engagement in its efforts to fend off Taliban and other militants than other NATO forces in Afghanistan - a legacy of the country's World War II experience and a condition of close parliamentary control of the military.

'When we call for assistance in a firefight, they (the German forces) often have to request an order from the headquarters in Mazar-i-Sharif. And then they come too late,' Omar said.

Omar added that in the province, which used to be one of Afghanistan's quieter areas until militants started infiltrating earlier in 2009, his government needed more than 2,000 new policemen and equipment before it could take responsibility for its own security.

The German military came in for fierce criticism earlier this year when an army commander called for a NATO airstrike on two fuel trucks that had been hijacked by militants. In the ensuing fireball dozens of civilians were likely killed.

As well as German troops, US special forces are also present in the province. Since Germany's new government took office in October, ministers have raised calls for a clear exit strategy for the military to be put into place.

'If the Germans don't want to do the work, to be honest it would be better if they left our province,' Omar told the magazine.