August 4, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 24,1423

HAMBURG, Aug 3: German elite forces in Afghanistan are complaining they are underused and expressing doubts about their overall usefulness in the anti-terrorism campaign, the weekly Der Spiegel reported.

In its latest edition to appear on Monday, the Hamburg-based weekly cited the Special Forces Command (KSK) of the Bundeswehr as saying the troops have seen only very limited action and regard their role now as merely a “political symbol”.

Der Spiegel said the roughly 100 KSK elite soldiers in Kandahar had performed many reconnaissance missions since January, but there had been “fewer than five” operations in direct pursuit of suspected foes. The last of those direct operations was in March.

Der Spiegel said elite forces from countries such as Canada and New Zealand also were having increasing doubts about their mission, and wanted to quit Afghanistan.

In Berlin, a Defence Ministry spokesman said he could “neither confirm nor deny” the Spiegel report, but at the same time stressed there would be no pullout of KSK troops before their mandate expires in November. Der Spiegel said the second contingent of KSK troops had returned to their base in Calw in southern Germany on July 25 after they were replaced by a third contingent.

The KSK elite unit was established in 1996. It has seen action in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.—dpa