Top German general removed over Afghan air strike video
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 2:23 PM ET
CBC News
Germany's top military official has been removed over the handling of information about a September air strike in Afghanistan that killed civilians, the country's defence minister said Thursday in Berlin.
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told the German parliament that Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the country's inspector general, which is the equivalent to chief of staff, asked to be relieved of his duties.
His resignation came after the newspaper Bild published what it claimed were still photographs from a video of the air strike.
The newspaper said that the video shows civilians were likely killed and claimed the German military had the footage even as then defence minister Franz Josef Jung was denying there were civilian victims.
Schneiderhan was forced to resign for failing to hand over the video to political leaders.
Guttenberg said he only saw the video Wednesday, and that Jung, who is now Germany's labour minister, had not seen them.
In the Sept. 4 incident, a German colonel ordered a NATO air strike on two tanker trucks that had been seized by the Taliban near Kunduz. The colonel feared the trucks might be used against his troops.
Estimates vary on the number of civilians killed in the air strike. An investigation by an Afghan presidential commission said that 30 civilians and 69 Taliban died in the attack while Amnesty International has claimed that 83 civilians died.
Jung, who faced calls from some opposition lawmakers to quit the government, defended himself in parliament later Thursday.
"I correctly informed both the public and parliament about what I knew regarding these events," he said.
Earlier this month, Guttenberg said, a classified NATO report concluded there were "procedural errors" in the Sept. 4 air strike but that the colonel's decision to order air strikes was "appropriate in military terms."
At the time, Guttenberg said he assumed there were civilian victims, based on his assessment of the NATO report.
"I regret ... every civilian victim deeply," he said.
The report was prepared by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, appointed a Canadian major-general to lead the investigation along with officers from the U.S. Air Force and German military.
With files from The Associated PressShare Tools
Top News Headlines
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming more than 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming more than 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- No. 3 in Egypt election demands recount
- A spokesman for the third-place finisher in Egypt's presidential race has called for a partial vote recount, citing violations. more »
- 3rd most-wanted Nazi war criminal dies in Germany
- Klaas Carel Faber, a Dutch native who fled to Germany after being convicted in the Netherlands of Nazi war crimes and subsequently lived in freedom despite several attempts to try or extradite him, has died. He was 90. more »
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
Dispatches »
- Foreign slaves serving the U.S. military machine May. 24, 2012 3:33 PM How does a hairdresser recruited for work in Dubai, wind up slaving for the U.S. military in a war zone in Iraq? There are tens of thousands serving in what's come to be known as America's "Invisible Army."
Connect Newsroom Blog
Etan Patz, Brian Banks & 50 Shades of Grey May. 25, 2012 8:56 PM On his first full day of his new life, former football star Brian Banks joins us live.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate

