German Defense Minister Describes Situation in Afghanistan as Unstable

BERLIN (By Aleksander Polotsky, RIA Novosti) – German Defense Minister Peter Struck described the situation in Afghanistan as unstable and mentioned the possibility of new terrorist acts on the eve of forthcoming parliamentary elections in the country scheduled for June this year.

According to DPA, a German new agency, on Saturday Struck arrived in Kunduz, the administrative center of the Afghan province of Kunduz on the border with Tajikistan where the German Bundeswehr contingent was stationed.

There the German defense minister discussed the problem of narcotics production in the region with local field commander General Mohammad Daud, ethnic Tajik.

According to the agency, Struck demanded from General Daud "to contribute to the struggle against narcotics trafficking in the region." On the eve of the visit of the minister, General Daud, in his turn, urged German servicemen to take part in the struggle against narcotics trafficking. In return Peter Struck stated that these were not the tasks assigned to Bundeswehr in Afghanistan which provided assistance to civil specialists who restored infrastructure facilities there.

First German servicemen were brought to Kunduz in October 2003. Presently 215 soldiers and 25 civil specialists on matters of restoration of the country’s economy are stationed there.