Afghanistan debate

Germany's defense minister has reversed his position on the deadly Kunduz airstrike in which civilians were killed.

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg spoke to Germany's lower house of parliament on Thursday before it decided to extend by a year a mandate allowing 4,500 troops to be deployed in Afghanistan.

In the house, 445 deputies out of 594 voted in favor of the motion, which means that the set number of troops can be deployed until December next year.

Earlier, Guttenberg had told members that the air attack, in which civilians were among the 142 fatalities, had been "inappropriate."

He acknowledged that Colonel George Klein, who called in a NATO airstrike on two fuel trucks which had been hijacked by theTaliban, and which he thought would be used in a terrorist attack on his troops, had done what he thought was best.

"Although Colonel Klein undoubtedly acted in good conscience and to the best of his knowledge, and to protect his soldiers, from today's perspective it was objectively speaking militarily inappropriate," said Guttenberg.

Correcting position

The minister said that he was correcting his position after previously describing the strike as appropriate.

Chancellor Angela Merkel apologized on Tuesday for the attack, which the Afghan government said killed 30 civilians. Details of a report that indicated there were civilian casualties and that had been kept secret led to the resignation of former defense minister Franz Josef Jung from his new post as labor minister.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle addressed parliament before the vote. "Our mission in Afghanistan not only serves the people in Afghanistan but also our own security," he said.

Of the members taking part in the vote, 105 voted against and 43 abstained. The government had the support of some members of the opposition

No extra troops

Merkel's government had suggested it could raise troop levels in the future. The present mandate, however, means that any increase in numbers will not take place immediately.

US President Barack Obama announced plans on Tuesday to send an extra 30,000 U.S. soldiers to stem worsening violence in the country.

Washington wants NATO allies to send at least 5,000 more troops, increasing pressure on Germany, which has 4,400 soldiers in Afghanistan and is the third largest contributor after the United States and Britain, to contribute to the increase.

The German parliament also voted to extend the mandate of its contribution to a UN naval operation off the coast of Lebanon, preventing weapons from being brought to the country.

rc/Reuters/AP/AFP
Editor: Michael Lawton