GERMANY'S military is a danger to itself and its Afghanistan mission because it lacks combat and medical skills, German newspaper Bild reported yesterday citing a classified official document.

"The soldiers' proficiency in small arms and their command of weaponry does not correspond to the requirements of the territory," officers in the leaked Bundeswehr internal report complained.

The document added that soldiers did not have adequate driving instruction to prepare them for Afghanistan's uneven terrain. Furthermore, their lack of driving experience in armored vehicles put their lives at risk of serious road accidents.

The document also criticized the abilities of German medics, who, it was claimed, were inadequately prepared to treat gunshot and explosives wounds.

In addition to criticizing their own training shortcomings, officials expressed resentment over what they saw as US military dominance over other NATO members, particularly since Gen. David Petraeus took command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) last July.

"The already marginalized contributions of other nations have been further marginalized," they said. "It has been established that American dominance in leadership and decision-making has further increased."

The Bundeswehr is scheduled to hand over Mazar-i-Sharif, a major city in the north of the country, to Afghan authorities in July this year.

Originally published as German soldiers 'can't shoot, can't drive'