German defense minister in Afghanistan

"It is important to me to ensure that the soldiers here realize that they have a top politician behind them," Guttenberg told the troops just after three German soldiers were killed in an insurgent attack bringing the total number of Bundeswehr deaths to 39 since 2002.

"We are dependent on your force and strength," he told the troops and thanked them for their commitment.

Eight other soldiers were wounded on April 2 – four of them seriously – in a battle with the Taliban that went on for 10 hours.

But the same day, German troops mistakenly shot six Afghan soldiers who were in a civilian vehicle that refused to stop.

Growing concern about Kunduz affair

This did not help to quell the growing concern about the controversial Kunduz affair that was triggered last September when a German ISAF commander ordered the bombing of two oil tanks that had reportedly been hijacked by the Taliban. It was later revealed that dozens of civilians had been killed or injured in the strike.

In recent weeks, new information has emerged about what politicians and army officials knew about civilian deaths in Kunduz.

On Tuesday, the German defense minister broke off discussions with a lawyer who has been representing the relatives of up to 142 people killed or injured in the airstrike. Zu Guttenberg said it was not clear whom Karim Popal represented. He said that the lawyer had suggested that compensation money go towards regional projects that were not feasible in the current security climate.

So far, the German defense ministry has provided up to 150,000 euros (204,000 US dollars) worth of aid to provide firewood, blankets, cookers and food during the winter months. Popal's negotiations with zu Guttenberg were over a second installment of compensation payments to find projects in the region.

Popal reportedly proposed an orphanage, a home for widows and a carpet factory in Char Darah, which is a very restive region. Fearing these could become targets for the Taliban, the German defense minister has decided to favor smaller projects.

German mission in Afghanistan increasingly unpopular

Germany currently has some 4,500 troops in Afghanistan – it is the largest contingent after the United States and Britain. The mission – especially since the Kunduz affair – has become increasingly unpopular in Germany where a recent poll published by the Stern weekly magazine found that 62 percent of Germans wanted the troops to be pulled out.

In February, the Bundestag approved another 850 soldiers after US President Obama’s decision to boost the US-led NATO troops by 30,000.

The SPD opposition has called for another mandate to be drawn up considering German troops are not officially "at war" in Afghanistan but were originally sent to help reconstruct the country and train police officers. The party leader Sigmar Gabriel said a new mandate was necessary if Chancellor Angela Merkel was now of the opinion that there was a war going on.

However, Merkel rejected this demand on Wednesday, saying that a non-international armed conflict is taking place in Afghanistan according to international law. "Most soldiers call it civil war or simply war and I understand that," she added.

act/dpa/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Thomas Baerthlein