Recall that in September the Germans bombed as many as 40 Afghan civilians to death. Over the weekend, the domestic fallout continued with the resignation of German Cabinet official, Franz Josef Jung (defense minister at the time of the bombing) who said "he accepted "political responsibility" for accusations that the military withheld information about an air strike in Afghanistan in September that killed civilians as well as insurgents...Jung's resignation came a day after Germany's top military officer, Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan, and one of Jung's top deputies while he was defense minister, State Secretary Peter Wichert, were forced to step down. The men submitted their resignations after a German newspaper reported that information about civilian casualties had been withheld from Parliament and from prosecutors in connection with the air strike..." [San Francisco Chronicle]
- Although it concerns a separate matter (albeit in the same occupied country), Scott Taylor wonders if Canadian defence minister Peter MacKay isn't going to suffer the same fate as his (one-time) German counterpart, over the ongoing detainee/torture scandal that the Canadian Forces and government are mired in. (See: 'MacKay's retreat may lead to ejection seat'; also see Roger Annis' piece on the situation, as well as David Pugliese's, which provides some context using recently declassified documents.)