Most Germans Back Afghan Pullout

A recent survey shows some 70% of the German population backs the immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, as Berlin struggles to win support for the unpopular war.

The opinion poll conducted by independent research institute Infratest dimap also indicated that some 53% of the Germans surveyed do not believe national security is being defended through the Afghan mission.

This comes as a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been trying to convince the German public that the Afghan mission is directly related to national security.'

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German Troops in Afghanistan Call on Angela Merkel to Explain Why They're at War

German soldiers are wearing their hearts on their sleeves - in the form of a badge that protests their country's involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

Some troops have taken to wearing the cloth accessory that states - ironically - 'I fight for Merkel' in a bid to persuade the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to explain exactly what they are fighting and dying for.'

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A Third of All U.S. Casualties in Eight-Year Afghan War Have Occurred Since Obama Ordered Escalation

More than 300 U.S. soldiers have died in the war in Afghanistan since May 15, 2009, the day when the first major wave of new troops ordered by President Barack Obama arrived in the country.

The 308 U.S. casualties in Afghanistan since then account for about a third of the total of 920 U.S. casualties in the eight-year war.

Of the 308 soldiers who have died since mid-May 2009, 287 were killed by enemy action, according to a CNSNews.com database of all casualties in the Afghanistan theatre of war.'

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