No more troops

Germany's Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung has rejected calls by the new NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen for a greater German engagement in Afghanistan.

In an interview with German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Jung said that there was no reason to commit more troops or money, adding that Germany already has 4,500 soldiers deployed in the region with another 300 who are responsible for the upkeep of AWACS planes. The Airborne Warning and Control Systems crafts are versatile spy planes with advanced radar capabilities used to monitor military air traffic.

According to Jung, the German government has invested 200 million euros ($286 million) each year in the region since 2002, bringing the total so far to 1.2 billion euros. The defense minister added that it isn't just about the military aspect anymore and that reconstruction of civilian infrastructure was just as important.

"In this area we've done a lot more than many of our European partners," he said.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made the call for more troops in Afghanistan on Friday. He justified the request by pointing out that the first success against insurgents in the south of the country only came after an increase in the number of troops.

Pakistani Taliban chief suspected dead

Meanwhile there is still uncertainty over the death of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, following a US drone strike in the northwest of the country.

Government officials said they were awaiting full confirmation. There have been reports that the strike also killed Mehsud's wife and several guards in the tribal district of South Waziristan.

Despite his allegiance to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Mehsud was mainly focused on attacking government and civilian targets inside Pakistan, sending only a few fighters from his militia - believed to be up to 20,000 strong - and several squads of suicide bombers to Afghanistan.

That might have been the reason that dozens of strikes by CIA operated pilotless aircraft spared him until recently, when Washington realized that his terrorist acts could destabilize Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against terrorism. In March, the US State Department announced a $5 million bounty on his head.

American officials and analysts said it may be too early to tell if the strike that apparently killed Mehsud will prompt Pakistan to sustain its active campaign against Taliban and other militant leaders in the lawless region bordering Afghanistan.

mrm/AP/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Andreas Illmer