Has Germany begun targeted killings of Taliban leaders?
As details about a German-ordered bombing in Kunduz continue to emerge, the list of questions surrounding the incident is growing longer. Both Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Guttenberg face intense criticism. For a celebrated German politician lauded during the last 12 months for his refreshingly open brand of politics, it seemed a particularly disingenuous defense. “Those who believe that they can pin Sept. 4 on me,” German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told the tabloid Bild on Sunday, “should keep in mind that I wasn’t even defense minister yet at the time.” Guttenberg was referring to the fateful German-ordered bombardment in Kunduz, Afghanistan which resulted in the deaths of numerous civilians — estimates range from 17 to 142. More pertinent for Guttenberg this week, however, is that the bombing has also resulted in numerous questions centering on how much Berlin knew about the air strike, and when it knew it. And not all of those questions stem from
