The Local Germany

Taliban leader tries (and fails) to get asylum in Germany

Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:36:11 +0100

A few weeks ago an Afghan man flew into Frankfurt Airport with his family and applied for asylum. An investigation revealed he was in fact a senior member of the Taliban, Spiegel reports.

German soldiers kill two in Taliban attack on consulate

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:15:22 +0100

After a Taliban truck bomb struck the German consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif late on Thursday, German soldiers shot dead two men who approached the compound on motorbikes, according to Spiegel.

Taliban suicide attack hits German convoy

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 09:30:29 +0100

A convoy carrying a German general was hit in a suicide car-bomb attack near Kabul airport on Monday, the news site Spiegel Online reported, adding that two soldiers were slightly hurt.

Taliban release German hostage in Afghanistan

Fri, 29 May 2015 12:42:24 +0200

An employee of the German International Development Agency (GIZ) has been released from captivity in northern Afghanistan after being taken prisoner by the Taliban six weeks ago.

Tribes, ties and a movie: A German's Afghan life

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 14:54:00 +0200

After more than 3,400 foreign troops died in Afghanistan, 54 of them German, the international community in 2014 withdraws its combat forces to end a 13-year mission. Aid worker and ex-soldier Matthias Kock reflects on lessons learned and where the country is headed.

'Germans among dead' in Pakistan air strikes

Wed, 22 Jan 2014 15:36:00 +0100

Three Germans were among 40 people killed when Pakistani jets and helicopters bombarded suspected Taliban hideouts in a northwestern tribal district, a senior security source said on Wednesday.

Army admits rise in Afghanistan violence

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 17:25:00 +0100

Insurgent violence in the area of Afghanistan where German soldiers have been stationed increased dramatically in 2013, just as the Bundeswehr prepares to leave. Yet the region is seen as calmer than elsewhere in the country.

German Taliban 'put off by dirt and violence'

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:41:00 +0100

A German man who ran away to join the Taliban told a court this week how he had a horrible time in the Pakistani borderlands and was happy to be back home – even though he now faces a prison term.

Al Qaida 'planned to take German hostages'

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:15:00 +0100

Documents seized in May linked to al Qaida leaders indicate that the terrorist organisation was aiming to take hostages in Germany and other Western countries as part of a "war of attrition," according to a newspaper report.

Germany backs peace talks with the Taliban

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:12:00 +0100

Germany's foreign and defence ministers called Sunday for the Taliban to be included in Afghanistan peace talks, ahead of a major international conference for the war-ravaged country next month.

Mountain climbers go missing in Afghanistan

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:55:00 +0200

Fears are growing that two German men who went missing several days ago after setting off to climb snow-capped mountains in war-torn Afghanistan could have been kidnapped, officials said Tuesday.

Taliban target German security firm in Kunduz

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:10:00 +0200

A suicide bomber and two gunmen have attacked the office of a German security firm protecting aid workers in the Afghanistan city of Kunduz, in a co-ordinated assault that left at least six people dead.

Petraeus to meet general hurt in Afghan attack

Sun, 29 May 2011 13:52:00 +0200

Gen. David Petraeus, US commander of the international forces in Afghanistan (ISAF), is to visit German Gen. Markus Kneip after he narrowly survived a deadly attack on Saturday.

Afghan police chief and German soldiers killed

Sat, 28 May 2011 18:54:00 +0200

The police chief of northern Afghanistan and two German soldiers were among seven people killed in a suicide bombing at the Takhar governor's office Saturday.

Germany mediating US-Taliban talks: report

Mon, 23 May 2011 11:47:00 +0200

Germany is helping mediate secret, direct talks between the United States and the Afghan Taliban, with meetings taking place on German soil, according to Der Spiegel magazine.

German aid worker killed in Afghanistan

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 14:03:00 +0100

A German development worker was killed by insurgents in northern Afghanistan on Friday night. Development Minister Dirk Niebel described the killing as a "cowardly attack," while Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her shock.

Troops to start leaving Afghanistan in 2011

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:53:00 +0100

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Thursday said German troops will begin leaving Afghanistan at the end of next year.

Afghanistan has 'no military solution,' German envoy says

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:02:00 +0100

Germany has laid out the stark reality for Afghanistan in stronger terms than before, with its special representative to the conflict-riven country saying on Friday that the war could not be won militarily.

Bundeswehr soldier killed in Afghanistan

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:55:00 +0200

A German soldier has been killed and six others wounded in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg announced on Thursday.

German doctor killed in Afghanistan

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:10:00 +0200

One British, one German and six American doctors, including three women, were among those found shot dead in Afghanistan's remote north, their charity's manager in Kabul told news agency AFP Saturday.