05/09/2010

More Armored Vehicles to Afghanistan

German troops in Afghanistan will receive 15 additional armored Marder vehicles. In addition, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg announced that pioneer tanks and armored bridges are going to be moved to Hindu Kush.

"We are not preparing in general, but are responding to each specific need on site," the CSU politician said in the interview published over the weekend. "Some people are probably still surprised that our soldiers are there in combat." Despite the armor increase in other places in the country, no infantry would be needed except for civic involvement.
May 9, 2010 4:38:07 AM | Current Affairs

The comments to this entry are closed.

NEXT POST
Bundeswehr: More required combat forces German Army Inspector Werner Freers advocates a significant increase in combat troops of the German armed forces to strengthen the sustainability of international missions in Afghanistan. He considered the establishment of six additional infantry battalions would be useful, the general said in Berlin. The troops could be used to relieve the burden of forces already in Afghanistan and Kosovo. "What is needed is a strengthening of education and pioneering nature." The Bundeswehr is currently just under 7,000 soldiers abroad. Most soldiers do their service in Afghanistan and Kosovo like the vast majority of the troops is the army. Most recently, due to the drastic deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan and especially in dangerous stronghold of the German Bundeswehr in the northern Afghan Kunduz to infantry, the role of combat troops has been even greater. An infantry battalion includes a total of 800-1200 soldiers.
PREVIOUS POST
Bamiyan, an island of security At a time when the insurgency has again spread across the country, but not as much violence as some years ago, Bamiyan, famous for the site where the Taliban blew up Buddhist statues, has now become an island of security, and a very popular tourist destination. It is estimated that the city and its valleys were visited this past year by 1,500 Afghans and 756 foreigners, and it is estimated that the three hotels in the area had a revenue of $250,000. The program to increase tourism, is so far only focused on the summer, but could help the ski market seasonally. By 2015 it is expected that the 116 hotel beds today, will reach past 1000, creating at least 1000 jobs and the visit of 10,000 foreign tourists and 100,000 Afghans, which would generate about 6 million euros in the valley, not counting revenue drivers, craft shops, and restaurants. But they would also need to improve transportation connections. Right now going from Kabul to Bamiyan, just 200 kilometers, takes more than eight hours. You can go faster and do it in four hours, but you must pass through Taliban territory. One option is to create a commercial flight path, but it is hard to land at the airport Bamiyan with cattle sporadically roaming around on the track. In any case, even if they can keep Bamiyan like a bubble within a hostile territory, the highest hopes are for peace in the entire country. As much as they want to preserve security in Bamyan in a bubble, if Afghanistan falls, this region will, too.