The German cabinet Minister Franz Josef Jung, resigned today because of his “political responsibility” for the German military having withheld damning information on an Afghan airstrike which went terribly wrong and killed many civilians. In actual fact he misled the public.
Because dead people do not leave ID cards claiming they are/or are not members of the Taliban those supporting the military claim most victums were Taliban. However for many of the victims – old people, women and children – this is patently absurd.
Mr. Jung, a fellow member of the CDU party of Angela Merkel was defence minister at the time of the air strike, and his resignation follow two other top officials from the German defence department on Thursday. [See OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog report yesterday]
Mr Jung made a last minute attempt to save his political career, but it was a botched performance – like the airstrike – and in fact it made things even worse for him. It invigorated the Greens and Social Democrats and their demands for his exit grew even louder after his speech.
The recent resignations may not be enough to stop further discussion on the airstrike in particular and Germanys’ Nato role in general.Pressure from the Greens to implement a full parliamentary inquiry into the events following the Kunduz airstrike seem set to continue in the next days.
The examination of the government’s conduct in Afghanistan could not come at a more awkward time. It is expected that next week US President Obama will announce yet another “new” strategy for the conflict. It has already been leaked that he will ask reluctant European allies for up to 10,000 more troops.
The mission has always been referred to officially by the government functioning as a “stabilizing force” – while most of the German public see it for what it is, namely their troops have been waging war. With an estimated 2/3 of the German public against, lies and deception seem now to overshadow the NATO mission as more and more Germans ask why Germany should continue its involvement in Afghanistan after eight years.
Despite this week’s resignations the row is far from over and the fallout over the Kunduz incident could still prove to be hugely damaging to the Merkel government. She may have thought that by jettisoning Jung the problem would be quickly forgotten. However the state prosecutor has started his own investigation and if the airstrike broke international law it could very well end up being tried in a German court as a war crime. Watch this space.
While in the UK and the US, a top resignation would probably suffice, justice and the rule of law actually mean something in Germany and state prosecutors can not be bought off as poodles and are “convinced to do the right thing in the public interest” – as the English press euphemistically refer to instances when the judiciary do what their government order them to do. While it is perhaps too early to draw any conclusions in this case, Germans generally should be proud that their judiciary is doing what they are paid to do and supposed to do.
Germany has the third largest contingent at the present time behind the US and the UK. There will be a parliamentary vote next week on an extension by one year of its existing mandate of 4,500 soldiers. A conference on the Afghan conflict has been planned for January 28 in London. Chancellor Merkel has said she will make no commitment on additional troops before that time.
Since taking office in October, the 2nd coalition government of Angela Merkel’s is staggering from one internal rift to the next. The most serious to date, and still unresolved, concerns a controversial appointment to a foundation representing Germans expelled from Poland after WWII. [ see earlier article on OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog Merkel’s irritant Erika Steinbach won’t go away ]
On the economic front the new coalition government also seems unable to agree on tax cuts and a new social security payment scheme.
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Wow, that’s a time saver in “Mis-leading Public” scandal claims Minister – One more bites the dust …and possibly more to come? OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog ! Jessica Esaw