Posted on 11/02/2007 11:39:35 PM PDT by HAL9000
via translation -
Unannounced visit to the German Chancellor in Afghanistan
KABUL - The German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Saturday morning in Kabul for a surprise visit to Afghanistan, announced a European diplomatic source in the AFP.
The information was confirmed by a spokesman for the German embassy in Kabul, which did not provide details about the visit.
Merkel was to have talks with President Hamid Karzai, followed by a press conference around midday, and probably visit some 3,000 German soldiers stationed mostly in northeastern Afghanistan.
It came after the Bundestag had overwhelmingly approved on October 12 the extension of the deployment of their troops and aircraft reconnaissance in Afghanistan, against the tide of opinion which does more to the success of the military operation.
Good for the Chancellor, good for the troops. She should have flewn earlier, in my opinion.
Thank you for posting that.
Now all she has to do is give them bullets and let them fight.
I think the German soldiers in the North are doing a good and important job. There is no clear and visible front in the North, nevertheless the mission puts their lives at risk every second. While I do believe that NATO countries should increase their forces in Afghanistan (I include Germany!), I don´t think that we can solve the problem by military means alone. Experts and those who are not tell you, that you need to close the border to Pakistan. Pakistan is the problem. Once it´s solved, you have a free Afghanistan (at the pleasure of the local warlords and drug plant owners, of course).
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