Precious German Blood

Germany isn't going to sent troops to fight insurgents in South Afghanistan and neighboring areas, but prefers to stay in the relatively quiet and safe north. Death toll of troops fighting in South Afghanistan (including Pakistan and Uzbekistan): at least 289 Americans, 42 Canadians, 40 British, 4 Dutch.

The logic behind Germany's decision: in order to keep quiet and safe northern Afghanistan quiet and safe, German troops have to stay there.

Merkel bars troop use in South Afghanistan

Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear Wednesday that Berlin did not plan to send troops to volatile southern Afghanistan. She argued that Germany was needed in the north to maintain stability and insisted there was no "purely military solution" to the country's problems.

Most of Germany's 2,900 troops in Afghanistan serve in the relatively peaceful north. Before a Nov. 28-29 NATO summit meeting in Riga, Germany faces pressure to let NATO commanders use its soldiers elsewhere in Afghanistan.

The German military is fulfilling "an important and dangerous task" in the north, providing security and backing reconstruction, Merkel said in a speech to Parliament.

"The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity." (André Gide)

Comments

[german observer]

Well... it's just because Germans have to learn killing again:

http://www.welt.de/data/2006/11/20/1118193.html

[LC Mamapajamas]

As much as it pains me to say this, Chancellor Merkel has a point. The Germans stationed in the north have undoubtedly established relationships with the locals, and know who is potential trouble and who is reliable. Until we've got a handle on the thugs moving around from here to there in Afghanistan, it would probably be best to keep the Germans where they are.

[Deist]

I think its better to have them were they are.
They are not fit for fighting anyway.
And who needs a second front (should someone decide to start problems in the north once they are gone)

[Fred H]

My Suggestion: Germany should keep its current troops in the North, where they are doing an excellent job of scaring away the Taliban just by being there (yeah, right), and deploy a few more additional symbolic troops in the South and hold a press conference to show that they are doing their share.
Meanwhile, I will still be waiting for Germany, the self proclaimed Vorbild, to show us all how to fight in a war perfectly humanely according to its own high moral standards when actually confronted with a real enemy in real combat.

[leucanthemum]

I agree with Mamapajamas. There are good reasons to have a number of troops up where there isn't much action. Aside from the public relations needs, there is also the possibility of eventually flanking the enemy. If NATO establishes solid bases in the north using German troops, with trustworthy local allies, there is less likelihood that the enemy can move up into the region, when they are driven out of the south.

That, of course, depends upon whether NATO can get things together again after the mess Pakistan made of Waziristan, this summer.

[joe]

This is silly.

Why don't the Germans just go home?

[IGout]

Can somebody give us a professional military assessment of their fighting abilities?

[cbendis]

Now they are complaining - lol.

Tough luck! The toothpaste is out of the tube. Germany is a peaceful nation now. ;-)))

*****

[...]Briten und Amerikaner müssen da gerade durch. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg haben sie den Deutschen mit aller pädagogischen Macht des Befreiers jedwede Neigung zum Kriegführen propagandistisch aus dem Hirn gewaschen. Quell des deutschen Militärgeistes war Preußen, das deshalb gerechterweise weg mußte mit allem, was geistig dranhängt, so Briten und Amis damals. Heute beklagen sie sich jeden Tag lauter über die entsetzlich lang anhaltende Wirkung dieser pazifistischen Läuterung. Bis zum Hals im südafghanischen Desaster rufen Briten, Amerikaner und Kanadier verzweifelt nach den Preußen und bekommen statt dessen Franz Josef Jung, der ihnen mit schleimweichen Erklärungen jedesmal durch die blutigen Finger glitscht.

Die deutsche Linke weist solche Hilferufe mit dem Hinweis zurück, daß wir aus der Geschichte gelernt hätten (was man uns gelehrt hat), deshalb keine Militaristen mehr seien und unsere Mission daher darin sähen, die Mädchenschule von Masar-i-Scharif zu renovieren.

Geschichtsbewußte Deutsche breiten derweil genüßlich die jahrzehntelange Preußenhatz der Angelsachsen aus – erst Preußen, das Rückgrat und das Schwert Deutschlands, austilgen und sich dann wundern, daß den Deutschen beides fehlt! Und dann wird unter teuflischem Grinsen aufgezählt: Daß das heutige, angelsächsisch dominierte Kanada von den Preußen in Schlesien erkämpft wurde, daß die US-Armee von einem Preußen und nach preußischen Vorbild aufgebaut wurde und daß der große Wellington ins belgische Gras gebissen hätte ohne die Preußen. Also beklagt euch nicht, daß ihr in Kandahar jetzt so allein seid. So wäre es schon viel früher gekommen, wenn eure Vor-Vorfahren genauso bescheuert gewesen wären wie eure Vorfahren. Ein billiger Triumph, zugegeben. Aber gehaltvoller waren die anglo-amerikanischen Argumente gegen den „preußisch-deutschen Militarismus“ auch nicht.

Kenner der Materie erwarten allerdings, daß Berlin seine Weigerung nicht lange durchhalten wird. Also dürften deutsche Truppen irgendwann doch noch in den Krieg mit den Taliban Südafghanistans ziehen müssen. Bis dahin sollten sie die Erfahrungen früherer deutscher Generale mit dem Zweifrontenkrieg büffeln, die werden sie nötig haben: Auf der einen Seite die Taliban, die fanatisch und mit allen Tricks auf die Deutschen losgehen werden.

Auf der anderen die noch grausamere, perfidere Macht, die bei erster Gelegenheit mit tatarischer Härte über die Soldaten kommen wird: Wir, die deutschen Medien und unsere Bundestagsschwätzer. Während der Schädelaffäre haben wir bereits alle unsere Macheten geschärft und wollen Blut sehen.

Sobald das erste Kind, die erste Frau oder sonstwer, der nicht mit Vornamen „Talib“ heißt, ins Schußfeld der Bundeswehr geraten ist, schlagen wir los: „Deutsche Soldaten töten unschuldige Zivilisten!“, johlen wir dann von Verzückung geschüttelt, und im Bundestag werden sich alle, denen ihre Karriere am Herzen liegt, von den „unerträglichen Bildern“ distanzieren und „schonungslose Aufklärung“ verlangen. Danach ist Nacht der langen Messer in den Offiziersstäben in Afghanistan. Die Köpfe werden plumpsen wie im Paris der 1790er Jahre. Es wird ein Fest! Vielleicht lassen sich auch noch ein paar Begleitskandale auftreiben in der Preisklasse „Rommel-Palme an KSK-Autotür“. Reicht ja schon ein Rekrut, der im Zelt heimlich Marschmusik hört oder das Bild eines preußischen Generals versteckt (Kriegsverherrlichung!). Wir sind mit allem zufrieden.

Daß wir Erfolg haben werden, scheint nach den jüngsten Erfahrungen sicher. Vielleicht ist es das, was dem braven Mounir al-Motassadeq immer so ein mildes Lächeln aufs Gesicht zaubert: Er kennt seine Deutschen.

*****

http://preussische-allgemeine.de/

[IGout]

Ha! Ha! Bendis, so true! Be careful what you wish for. But isn't it also true that the Russians, for their own reasons, encouraged Prussian ways in the DDR army? You know, the same goosestep, the military parades, the old uniforms, just born again and sanctified by the blood of Marx/Lenin?

[kantorka]

I wonder why you keep skipping the German death toll - they are not many, right, but I still wonder why they aren't mentioned at all. It's 18 in Afghanistan, by the way.

[joe]

Most of the Germans who have died in Afghanistan are the results of accidents and not as a result of hostile action. This does not make their deaths any less tragic. Nor does it make the loss of life less bitten to their love ones.

In fact using the numbers that have been posted about murder, being in the German military is much safer than being in the general population of Germany. There are less valiant deaths in the German military.

It is the same reason Germans do not recognize the thousands of deaths of American service members who died during training exercises

[kantorka]

It is true that German government does not publicly treat them as war deaths. 5 died in enemy attacks (read: suicide bombings where numerous other German soldiers and Afghan civilian were injured ) and one was killed by a mine, and officially none of those count as war deaths. Go figure. Most articles in the blogosphere read as even the faint possibility of such a thing happening wouldn't exist for the German soldiers, and it was all but a trip on state cost. Of course they are in the safer areas than those allied units in the South, and I think Merkel et al have to overthink their strategy, beause their current politics just don't seem consequent: They wanted responsibility in Afghanistan. What the troops in the North are doing is important. But it won't take too long anymore until they realize they have to send in more people, and into the South too. What annoys me greatly is that, not so much in this blog but in large part in the discussions around and even by NATo officials and military, the soldiers themselves are called "cowards". It is a political decision after all, not theirs, and they *are* there, instead of at home in front of the screen.
Sorry for the overall rant, but the way this discussion goes annoys me gratly.

[joe]

This is a bit like Germany claiming to be an ally of the US. The words all seem right and everyone wants to believe them because this is something we want to believe. At the end of the day actions do speak louder than words.

It is not the soldiers who are cowards but Germany. Remember this is the “good war”. The one everyone approved of – UN and NATO.

So if Germany will not meet it commitment to the two organizations which it claims to hold in such high esteem, then what can the other nations of the alliance expect from the Germans in the future.

Having said that just what does Germany expect from the alliance going forward and more to the point from nations like the US, UK and Canada? If attacked do they think we should send our sons and daughters to die for Germany?

Maybe the proper response for the US would be to deploy forces to Alaska and tell the Germans we are defending their flank. This is important so a new front cannot develop. The US then can act just as the Germans are behaving today.

This is silly. NATO can fail because of the actions of the Germans, French, Spanish, and Italians in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan might be a small price to pay for the unwinding of NATO. Then the Germans and french can get on with building their own defense structure and conflicts with NATO will be a non issue.

This appears to be what the Germans want.

Maybe it is time for sane people to realize this.

[joe]

OFG,

Thanks for your insight. It is helpful