Symbolic Fighting

It is unclear why the Germans were sent after the Baghlan Bomber but there are more and more Taliban insurgents pouring into the nine provinces the Germans command.

Although it is quite clear why the Taliban are pouring into the German AO:

A top Taliban commander in Afghanistan with links to the killers of several British Army soldiers has escaped from German special forces because they were not authorised to kill him.

The fiasco highlights the absurd role played by the German military in the country which is known to other combat nations as "the bridge builders" because Berlin will not let them fire shots in any situation other than in self-defence.

German special forces had an important Taliban commander in their sights in Afghanistan but he escaped as the Germans were not authorised to use lethal force.

Which is a curious thing to have to do – risk your neck by being forced to live-trap key Taliban people when they know that Berlin’s orders are completely misplaced. If they want the Afghans on their side, they need to eliminate the Taliban leadership such as the one thy had in their sights who killed 79 people at the opening of a sugar plant, and 12 at a school.

"The Krauts are allowing the most dangerous people to get away and are in the process increasing the danger for the Afghans and for all foreign forces here," one an incredulous British officer at ISAF headquarters told Spiegel.