Posted on 04/10/2004 4:18:52 AM PDT by longjack
"Spiegel" :Quarrel over weapon's transport on the death route Summary: Germans are questioning the shooting of 2 GSG 9 personnel killed after crashing through a resistance fighter's roadblock near Fallujah.
The armored SUV carrying the agents was hit by a rocket and crashed into a building. It can't be determined if the crash killed them or they were shot.
Germans can't get to the area to confirm the deaths because the Americans have the entire region around Fallujha sealed off.
The convoy consisted of 6 vehicles (armored limousines, SUV's and Lasttaxis (rental trucks?) carrying heavy weapons, radio equipment, bullet-proof vests and camouflage clothing. The 2 agents were to relieve agents at the Geman embassy in Baghdad who served as guards. The drivers were Jordanians.
Intel on the stretch had determined the danger was from gangsters and highwayman, not necessarily rebels, and the convoys had come under such robber attacks before.
Royal Jordanian Air flys from Amman to Baghdad twice daily, but the Germans chose not to use the airline because of the amount of the equipment and the habit of the guards to always remain with their weapons.
The article then says that the German's has approached the US military a couple of weeks ago to fly a dead (killed) German engineer out, but the US refused (steadfastly). This refusal, the article says, came in spite of warming relations between the US and Germany
This is my editorial comment: The article seems to be a thinly veiled attempt to blame the US for not flying the Germans in this time. Nothing in the text of the article says the Germans asked the US about the weapon's transport: however,the conclusion seems to have been made that since they didn't fly the dead engineer out, they probably wouldn't fly the weapons in.
longjack
"auf Granit beißen" is pretty straight-forward. The Americans aren't listening when the Germans are asking for help.
longjack
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