Broken Pinky Finger Or Sprain

Lindenstraße ... Targeted stupidity

by Clemens Wergin 15th September 2009 The soldiers of the Fallschirmjägerbatallions 261 are outraged. The third company is taken up for discussion with Inspector General Schneiderhan and three are accompanying journalists. When asked what they think of the German debate on air attack on two tankers, in which dozens of people were killed, it bubbles out of them: "I fully understand how politicians just a few hours after the incident, and without just knowledge of the facts can have your say, "says a Train drivers. In the men here in Kunduz there is the impression, as did some quick points in the campaign - on the backs of soldiers. The media get off a whole load of criticism: let Afterwards always easy to say that a decision had been wrong. Ultimately, says company chief Krüger, only the Colonel knew how the situation was that in the end led to his decision to request the attacks. His men at any rate stood fully behind the decision of the commander, in the face of all that was done previously.

The Paratrooper Company is the second time in Kunduz. Therefore, the soldiers know best how much the security situation has changed there. The men and women travel a lot in the destabilized region of Taliban Chahar Darreh west of Kunduz. "There is the risk increased compared to last year by 100 percent," says Sergeant Major Heiko W. "Even as soldiers there, we can no longer move freely, we must always expect the worst." Meanwhile, the insurgents were there even on the day amidst armed civilians. Which is indeed the Bundeswehr soldiers to set still positive. But now the family would expect to be at night, threatened by the Taliban when they were a day too readily to discussions have taken up with the Germans. Such "information interview" is therefore much more difficult. The 3rd Company moves only with heavy armored vehicles in the villages. "We have the latest on the way back so expect to be shot," said Heiko W.

Since 10 July, the paratrooper company is back in Kunduz. In that time they had contact with the enemy 14 times, including two heavy fighting that lasted for hours. Some soldiers sit with arms and hands attached at the conference table, as they relate to the Inspector General of their experiences. On 5 September, the day after the controversial raid on those ford in Kunduz River, they came just returned from a deployment in Talokan, east of Kunduz. Along the road a car drove up and suddenly it exploded. It was a suicide bomber.

"I saw a red flash under the car, the door to be peeled," says a staff sergeant, who was sitting in the most affected by the detonation Dingo. Thus, a wheeled tank weighs more than eight tonnes and the force of the blast hurled him once on the roof and then back to the wheels before it plunged down a steep slope. Five soldiers and a translator were injured. A soldier suffered such severe burns that she had to be flown to Germany. These soldiers keep their heads every day for Deutschland hin. Deshalb finden sie es unbegreiflich, dass sich ihr Oberkommandierender Georg Klein nun auch noch vor Gericht verantworten muss.

„Soldaten müssen in kürzester Zeit über Leben und Tod entscheiden – über ihr eigens Leben, das des Gegners und von Zivilisten“, sagt der Chef der Fallschirmjäger-Kompanie. „Da brauchen die Männer dort draußen einen klaren Kopf.“ Sein Spieß Heiko W. pflichtet bei: „Man hat sonst ständig im Hinterkopf: Was passiert denn, wenn ich eine Fehlentscheidung treffe.“ Solche Entscheidungen würden meist in Sekunden oder gar Millisekunden gefällt.

Eben dieses Problem spricht Schneiderhan am Tag darauf in Kabul, when he meets Stanley McChrystal, the commander of ISAF: Restricts the use of new rule if it is handled rigorously, not the scope of the soldiers too strong a? Enter the world of the Taliban were not dangerous action spaces?

The men of the company are well aware of the ford where the stranded truck. "As the night moves usually does, which are all in their villages," said a train driver. Completely incomprehensible to him that some victims of the raid for that reason alone be considered civilians because some carried no weapons. "Insurgents are not always under arms," \u200b\u200bhe says. "Sometimes Are there innocent-looking farmer groups. They have then the next moment suddenly RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades so, the editor], and guns in hand "The most common" trick "of the Taliban at the moment is to pose as a civilian..

Colonel Klein does the popularity of his men clearly good. A "crazy colonel has theater director Claus Peymann called him on the television program by Anne Will. This is the opposite of a small Afghan Rambo. It is rather the type of meticulous officials as a madman. Comparatively small in stature, he is with delicate, down rimless spectacles on his nose. Klein has economic and organizational studies at the Bundeswehr University studied in Hamburg and it was obvious that he belongs to the people who think rather longer than the abdomen to rule out.

met on Tuesday an investigation of the Commission of the ISAF in Kunduz on Monday has the highest military of the Bundeswehr, Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Small things through, all with upright posture. At most vulnerable to a train around the lips and sometimes the red face can be read off how much he carries the whole thing. He had this whole "personality cult" in any case contrary, it is said in the camp.

In those two days in Kunduz always seem to say that Klein had the "shittiest job," which it in Bundeswehr derzeit gebe. Ständig stehen seine Männer unter Beschuss, ständig muss der Oberst Entscheidungen treffen, die das Leben seiner Männer und das von unbeteiligten Zivilisten retten oder gefährden können. Der Chef der 3. Kompanie drückt das vor Journalisten etwas feiner aus: „Der PRT-Posten in Kundus ist mit der Schwierigste, den die Bundeswehr hat“, sagt er. „Das muss anerkannt werden.“

Im Pressebüro von Oberstleutnant Carsten Spiering hängt ein Kalenderblatt des Jahres 2009. Mit rosa Marker sind hier die wichtigsten Feindberührungen eingetragen. Seit April verdichtet sich die rosa Farbe auffällig: Beschuss, Gefechte, Hinterhalte und Bombenanschläge. Dieses sich verdichtende Rosa bildet den Hintergrund, vor dem Klein in der Nacht zum 4. September jene Entscheidung traf, die beiden entführten Tanker im Fluss bombardieren zu lassen.

„Ich musste jederzeit damit rechnen, dass die wieder rollen“, sagt Klein. Und das wäre gefährlich gewesen. Seit geraumer Zeit lagen in Kundus Meldungen vor, wonach die Taliban Tanklastzüge stehlen wollten, um sie dann als fahrbare Bomben für Anschläge zu benutzen. Mitte August hatten die Islamisten schon einmal Tanklastzüge erbeutet. Ende August gab es in Kandahar tatsächlich solch einen Angriff. Dazu kamen Informationen, wonach ein konkreter Anschlag mit zwei Fahrzeugen gegen das Bundeswehrlager in Planung gewesen sei. Für den Oberst matched the stolen vehicles so in the picture of a worsening threat. That night

are limited Klein alternatives. The "Quick Reaction Force", the always-ready fighting force in the Bundeswehr, in heavy fighting in the framework of the NATO operation "Arragon" far involved in the archiving space. The other two companies of the Bundeswehr Kunduz site are bound by routine tasks. And it would be very dangerous to send ground troops into that region, were reported from the previously massive Taliban concentrations. The terrain is so "channels" that lead there are only two ways to the ford, says Klein: A route to the north was with improvised roadside bombs equipped. The second road leads through a village. There is a risk of being involved in the midst of civilians in combat.

Klein chooses words for air support.

A bombing had not been fixed immediately. This is also the reason why the B1-B bomber has been replaced by an F15 - to get over a long period of time video images. Klein is on that night in constant contact with the pilot. In the end, he can use the bombs. "I have taken this decision alone," says Klein, "because I am a threat to my people, for the Afghan security forces and the Afghan population saw. "

The next morning it became clear to him that this attack would cause an uproar. "I had to make in the past five and a half months, many difficult decisions," Klein said today. This one, however, raised in Germany, an unprecedented debate.

It is the job of Inspector General Schneiderhan to bring together both sides. Close that gap to help, which has opened up between the political class in Berlin, an excited public in Germany and the soldiers in Kunduz, who are outraged by the criticism of their colonel. Locals tell Schneiderhan to report what many soldiers, Afghans in Kundus seien froh, dass die Bundeswehr nun endlich robuster vorgehe. Die Deutschen hätten viel Zeit verloren. Nun müssten sie „den Raum aggressiver besetzen“. Über die Hysterie in Deutschland könnten die Menschen hier nur den Kopf schütteln. Nun habe man deshalb Angst, dass die Bundeswehr vielleicht ihr Engagement zurückfahren oder gar beenden könnte.

Schneiderhan weiß, dass solch eine Sicht in Berlin schwer zu vermitteln ist. Andererseits hat der Vorfall auch dazu geführt, dass in Deutschland eine Diskussion entbrannte, die zum ersten Mal die harten Realitäten in Kundus zur Kenntnis nimmt. Deshalb sagt auch Klein: „Es ist wichtig, dass man das alles diskutiert und untersucht – even for us soldiers. " In order to provide clarity.

On Monday evening, the sun is already low in the camp of the Bundeswehr in Kunduz. Beyond wall, razor wire and the security strip is driving to the camp together, a young Afghan shepherd his goats with a long tail, and the muezzin call to evening prayers at Kunduz. Then suddenly a bang and a short hiss. The Germans fired a drone in the blue-red sky, which is far away from the camp to search for Taliban. "The half hour by hour during the evening twilight prepares us the most problems," says one of the soldiers, who operates the drone. It is the time to operate the Taliban most. Because the vision the eyes already wears off, but it is not so dark, that the Germans could exploit the superior technology of night vision devices.

bursts next day then in the middle of a meeting with Inspector General Schneiderhan the message, a train was about 25 soldiers near Talokan become victims of a bombing. Fortunately there were no injuries, but recovered to be a dingo. Despite finding mission for Colonel Klein goes on and his soldiers, which is in the last weeks and months dangerous normality in Kunduz.