Gregor Ottersbach, military dean stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, defended the Bundeswehr’s mission in Afghanistan in an interview with this site. This is not about terms such as ‘war’ or ‘humanitarian action’. Ottersbach: "It’s an armed conflict, but it’s also a warlike conflict. But there is also this humanitarian mission, which is also taking place here in Afghanistan. And that is why the term war alone is not correct."
The discussion about their deployment is perceived differently by the soldiers in Afghanistan. Where successes were visible – such as in education – they felt they could make a difference. Soldiers who are deployed in other areas tend to have the feeling that they can’t make a difference. According to Ottersbach, the majority of German soldiers in Afghanistan are confident and want to improve the situation in the country. Yesterday, three German Bundeswehr soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack. Since then, the debate about the Afghanistan mission has flared up anew in Germany. A total of 35 German soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan since 2002.