German minister 'shot at' during visit in Afghanistan

None of the three helicopters in the convoy were hit during the attack, which happened on Friday morning after the minister visited German soldiers in the northern area of Kunduz, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said.

On his two-day trip, his first to the region, zu Guttenberg held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

He also met US General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the 100,000-strong international force in Afghanistan.

On the second day of the visit, Berlin announced it would send an extra 120 soldiers to Afghanistan to add to its contingent of around 4,300 already on the ground.

The extra infantry company will arrive in mid-January in Kunduz, defence ministry spokesman Steffen Moritz told reporters.

Germany's parliament has capped at 4,500 the number of German soldiers that can be sent to take part in the mission, which is highly unpopular in the country.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email