Berlin, November 28: German Labour Minister Franz Josef Jung has resigned over a deadly air strike in Afghanistan in September, when he was defence minister.
“After consideration … I told Chancellor Angela Merkel this morning that I was handing in my position as Federal Labour Minister,” Jung told reporters in Berlin today.
“I am therefore taking responsibility for the information policy of the defence ministry,” he added.
He said he would “add nothing” to a statement he made in parliament late yesterday, where he said he had correctly informed the public and deputies about the strike.
Jung’s resignation came amid press revelations that a military report about the September 4 strike, in which dozens of civilians are believed to have died, was suppressed.
The ministerial casualty came just weeks after Merkel formed her new cabinet after a crushing election victory on September 27. Nevertheless, Jung is not seen as a major ally of the chancellor.
Yesterday, the affair also claimed the scalp of Germany’s top soldier, Chief of staff General Wolfgang Schneiderhan, and a senior defence ministry official, who also stepped down as a consequence of the scandal.
Germany’s mission in Afghanistan, where it is the third-largest supplier of troops, is unpopular in the country, with polls showing a majority are opposed to Berlin’s involvement.
—Agencies