Germany's top soldier quits over Afghanistan raid

Army chief Wolfgang Schneiderhan is to stand down from his post

Germany's top soldier has resigned over a Nato air strike in Afghanistan in which civilians were killed, the defence minister said.

Wolfgang Schneiderhan stood down over the 4 September attack in Kunduz on fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban.

His decision followed reports that information about the strike - ordered by a German commander - was withheld, the defence minister said.

The strike is thought to have killed dozens of civilians collecting fuel.

Taliban fighters had seized the two tankers while they were being driven from Tajikistan to supply Nato forces in Kabul.

Reports said that villagers were taking fuel from the tankers when the strike happened.

It is not clear exactly how many civilians died.

The independent Afghanistan Rights Monitor group put the number of civilians deaths at 70. The Afghan government later said that at least 100 people died, of whom 30 were civilians.

Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told parliament that Gen Schneiderhan had failed to provide proper information about the incident.

Gen Schneiderhan had "released himself from his duties at his own request", the minister said.

State Secretary Peter Wichert would assume his responsibilities, he added.

Source