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Last Friday's air strike has catapulted Germany's Afghanistan mission right into the election campaign ahead of the Sept. 27 vote. German politicians are quick to make pledges of loyalty to NATO, but there are far too few signs of a critical reassessment of Germany's military mission.

Most Germans would like to see their country's military forces, the Bundeswehr, withdraw from Afghanistan -- and quickly. One could dismiss this as wishful thinking. Yet, with just three weeks to go to the German national election, the political parties have to take into account the mood in the country. There is a growing feeling of reservation in Germany about the mission, with many people asking: What are we actually doing over there?

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