Germany Beefs Up Afghan Presence With Six Fighter Jets

The German cabinet made a historic decision yesterday to boost its military presence in Afghanistan, voting in favour of sending six Tornado jets for use in surveillance operations against the Taliban.

The defence minister, Franz Josef Jung, said the jets, equipped with cannon and infrared cameras, would be used to provide Nato allies with aerial images of the Taliban, but not in combat. He said the aim was to contribute to Afghanistan's long-term security. "Without security there's no reconstruction and without reconstruction there's no security," he said.

But the decision has proved hugely controversial with the German public, most of whom are against the mission, which they see as an unwelcome intensification of the country's involvement in the so-called war on terror.

The £23m, six-month mission will shift the focus of the German troops' involvement in Afghanistan from the relative safety of the north to the far more dangerous southern region. The jets will be stationed in Mazar-e Sharif in the north but will cover the entire country.

Germany currently has around 3,000 troops based in Kabul and northern Afghanistan, but it has been under increasing pressure by Nato's leadership to deploy forces in the south, where British and Canadian troops have fought fierce battles with the resurgent Taliban. Nato's International Security Assistance Force is expecting the Taliban to launch a spring offensive involving an estimated 2,000 suicide bombers.

The cabinet decision still needs to be ratified by the Bundestag next month but is thought likely to be passed. It marks another step in the German military's involvement in foreign missions which began around a decade ago. Every mission requires a mandate from the Bundestag.

German concerns that the jets might be dragged into combat missions were expressed in newspaper commentaries yesterday with one asking: "Does this mean Germany is finally at war? If so, the chancellor should tell us." Another suggested the move would make Germany more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

"Reconnaissance is not combat," said Mr Jung, who was at pains to stress that the jets would not be used in battle, despite expert assessments that the possibility could not be ruled out.