BERLIN, (Reuters) – The German officer who called in an air strike in Afghanistan that authorities say killed dozens of people did not have the right to give the order, according to preliminary NATO findings, a newspaper said yesterday.
German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said a report from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had found that Colonel Georg Klein had overstepped his command in ordering the attack in Kunduz last week.
The paper quoted a senior NATO officer as saying it was “crystal clear” that Klein had not kept to the prescribed chain of command, and that he should not have made the decision without checking back with ISAF headquarters.
