Bundeswehr, Norwegians Deny Report
A British newspaper on Sunday claimed that a German medical team in Afghanistan left the battlefield in order to get back to the base by sundown. German helicopters, the article claims, can't fly at night. But the Bundeswehr is denying the report.
The Germans are under fire again in Afghanistan.
Germany has long been a favorite foil in discussions about what more the West can do to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Bundeswehr, it has often been said, studiously avoids hot spots in the southern part of the country -- preferring instead to concentrate on popular reconstruction projects in the relatively peaceful north. A year ago, German troops were accused of having indirectly contributed to the deaths of 12 Canadians by not reacting to their plea for help.
On Sunday, the Germans received a new accusation to add to the growing collection. The British paper Sunday Times has charged the Germans with leaving the battlefield in the late afternoon in order to return to base by nightfall. The article, under the snarky headline "For us ze war is over by tea time, ja," indicates that German helicopters can't fly at night.
"It's hopeless. We were attacking the bad guys, then (at) three or four o'clock, the helicopters are leaving," the paper quotes an unidentified Norwegian cavalry officer as saying. "We had to go back to base. We should have had Norwegian helicopters. At least they can fly at night."
The Western allies, the story claims, were forced to retreat as were 600 fighters from the Afghan army because of the withdrawal of a German medical evacuation team. German troops, the article makes clear "spend much of their time in an enormous base, complete with beer halls and nightclubs."
German mission command, located in Potsdam just outside of Berlin, denies the accusations. A spokesman there told SPIEGEL ONLINE on Sunday that of course German medevac helicopters can fly at night -- they are equipped to do so and they fly night missions regularly. The spokesman also said that there has been no complaint registered by the Norwegians about the alleged incident and said that occasionally helicopters can't fly because of the weather or due to sand storms.
"But then, it's not just us who can't fly. But everyone else too," the spokesman said.
And it's not just the Germans who question whether the incident happened the way it was portrayed by the Sunday Times. Lt. Col. John Inge Oeglaend, of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, told SPIEGEL ONLINE that he has heard nothing concrete of the incident. The fact is, he said, the operation was not abruptly ended.
"I have no idea how the officer on the battlefield drew his conclusions," Oeglaend said.
The tea-time turnaround allegedly took place during Operation Harekate Yolo II, which recently saw fighting in the border region belonging partially to the German zone in northern Afghanistan. The article in the Sunday Times accused the Germans of "hampering Operation Desert Eagle," an offensive involving 1,500 Allied and Afghan troops.
According to recent reports, however, the German Afghanistan contingent -- consisting of some 3,000 troops -- are indeed facing difficulties with their vehicle pool. The Bundeswehr spent €66 million ($97 million) on 388 troop transporters, known as the "Mungo," only to realize that the awkward vehicle can't cope with the rough terrain in Afghanistan. The 180 trucks that have been so far delivered are being pulled out of use. Another vehicle, known as the "Dingo," is likewise unavailable for a number of missions due to a risk that the armored vehicle
