Not many Germans had previously heard of WikiLeaks, but when the recent disclosures hit the headlines German politicians and ordinary citizens reacted angrily, showing signs of exasperation with the involvement of German troops in the ongoing war in Afghanistan, and also with "allies like Pakistan".

In vitriolic comments in the media, Pakistan was portrayed as a country that "likes to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds", a reference to that country's support for the US in the conflict in Afghanistan in exchange for generous aid, while allegedly also helping the militants.

"You simply don't do that," screamed a headline in the populist Bild Zeitung, aptly summing up the German perception of Pakistan's devious game. Another commentator claimed that Pakistan had found it lucrative "to allow terrorism to flourish and thus ensure a steady western largesse to finance itself".

Many Germans are appalled by the claims that there is a nexus between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and religious extremists. After all, if there is such a connection it is contributing to the blood of Germans and other members of the coalition being spilled.

Following the WikiLeaks disclosures, German politicians from the opposition Social Democratic Party, the Green party and the Leftist party were also outraged by America's alleged secretive operations in Afghanistan. The leaks made reference to a special US Task Force 373 that was allegedly working closely with the German Regional Command North under orders to "capture or kill" targeted militants.

However, the opposition parties cannot pretend that they did not know about these events before the WikiLeaks disclosures. This information was already available to many German opposition politicians, who were aware of the operations of the special task force.

Nevertheless, the disclosures have unleashed, in part due to self-serving political motives, a heated debate in Germany. Under pressure from the opposition, German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a conservative in the coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, even called for a "clear-cut legal basis" for further deployment of special task forces in the Hindu Kush.

Social Democrats called on Merkel to clarify whether the actions of the American armed forces conformed to the norms of international law, threatening to oppose the extension of the Afghanistan mandate in a hearing set for March 2011 if she did not.

Protect the troops

Merkel has argued that she is willing to share information with the opposition provided it is not made public as this could endanger the lives of German soldiers.

As the third-largest contributor of troops to Afghanistan, Germany's government is facing stiff political opposition on the domestic front to any further involvement in that strife-torn country. Indeed, Westerwelle will find it very difficult to convince an increasingly sceptical German parliament that it is possible to create a stable and secure Afghanistan by 2014.

German opposition politicians are also displeased with the remarks made by US commanders. Rainer Arnold, a German social democrat and an expert on defence matters, has sharply criticised the remarks made recently by US General David Petraeus, the current commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and of US Forces in Afghanistan.

Arnold said the strong language used by Petraeus could easily be misunderstood by Nato soldiers. He was referring to an instance in which Petraeus had told the soldiers, "Get your teeth into the insurgents and don't let go".

Although the German government has officially "welcomed" Petraeus' guidelines for the protection of the civilian Afghan population, some of the passages in his four-page text were indeed sharply worded.

Though they may not appreciate his tone, the Germans do agree with Petraeus' goal of sparing the Afghan population. The German position, as formulated by Christian Dienst, the German armed forces' spokesman, is that it is absolutely necessary to "approach the civilian population with a minimum use of military force".

Harsh language can easily be misunderstood by junior officers and foot soldiers. Inexperienced combatants could make their own interpretation as to the intent of their military commander. They could believe that Petraeus expects them to behave in an overly-aggressive manner in keeping with his tone.

Petraeus, a respected strategist, should be more tactful in his public comments. Shooting from the hip could undermine his praiseworthy goal of "winning hearts and minds".

Manik Mehta is a commentator on Asian affairs.