German Labor Minister Jung Resigns Over Afghanistan Air Strike
BERLIN -(Dow Jones)- German Labor Minister Franz Josef Jung resigned Friday
after revelations about his handling of information about an air strike in
Afghanistan in which civilians were killed.
Jung, who was defense minister at the time, said he is assuming "political
responsibility for the internal information policy" of his ministry.
Jung admitted Thursday he had passed on a confidential report by the military
police to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which confirmed civilians had
been killed in the air strike, but said he hadn't read the contents of the
report.
Following the air strike in September, he had publicly denied he was aware of
the deaths of civilians.
The attack took place three weeks before Germany's general elections amid a
heated debate about the country's mission in Afghanistan, which has become
increasingly unpopular.
Jung's resignation is an embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-
right coalition government, which took office four weeks ago. Jung holds a
crucial post in the government, overseeing half of the government's budget.
-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 30 288 84126; andrea.thomas@
dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-27-090752ET
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