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Three German Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

Three German soldiers died on Tuesday amid heavy fighting in northern Afghanistan. The casualties are just the latest indication that security in the north, the region in which Germany leads the peacekeeping effort, is deteriorating.

For months, attacks on German troops operating in the northern Afghanistan region around Kunduz have been increasing. On Tuesday, three Bundeswehr soldiers died in yet another Taliban offensive.

According to the Defense Ministry in Berlin, Islamist insurgents attacked a patrol six kilometers southwest of Kunduz with grenade launchers and small arms fire. In the ensuing firefight, an armored personnel carrier plunged into a deep ditch full of water. Two soldiers died immediately in the accident and may have drowned. A third was pulled free of the wreck but died a short time later.

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung, visiting troops in the northern German city of Kiel on Tuesday, announced the tragedy. "I have bad news. Three soldiers in Afghanistan have died in the service of peace," he said. Those present held a moment of silence in honor of the fallen.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke of a "cowardly attack" and said that "together with Afghan officials, we will do everything in our power to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice."

Mohammed Omar, the governor of Kunduz Province, told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the three German soldiers drowned in the accident. His description of the accident largely matched that of the Bundeswehr. "After the vehicle fell into the ditch, the three German soldiers couldn't be pulled out fast enough," he said.

The casualties bring the total of German deaths in Afghanistan to 35.

Taliban fighters have become increasingly active in a region around Kunduz known as Char Dara, where Tuesday's attack took place. Recent weeks have seen numerous extended firefights between the Taliban and Afghan troops. German patrols have likewise come under frequent fire.

Additionally, increased Taliban presence has resulted in the closure of numerous girls' schools in the region. Many parents have stopped sending their children to classes in response to threatening Taliban notes -- so-called "night letters" -- posted on the front doors of regional schools.

The Bundeswehr has recently increased its presence in Char Dara. A high-ranking member of the Afghan secret service NDS spoke to SPIEGEL ONLINE of firefights on Tuesday morning prior to the deadly incident. A Defense Ministry spokesman in Berlin said that a number of soldiers were injured in the fighting, but couldn't say if they were Afghan or German.

Jung said that the German mission in Afghanistan would carry on despite the increasing number of casualties. "The operation in Afghanistan must continue," he said.

With reporting by Matthias Gebauer