Berlin - German peacekeeping troops in remote parts of Afghanistan were supplied with 1 million litres of home-brand beer and wine last year, Berlin confirmed Wednesday. An opposition politician, Elke Hoff, told the newspaper Bild: "It seems alcohol plays a worryingly big role in camp life."
But officials insisted the troops were not drunk. Each man was allowed under regulations to drink up to 1 litre of beer daily. The camps are largely supplied by air via camps in Tajikistan.
Thomas Raabe, a Defence Ministry spokesman said, "If the alcoholic beverages were only drunk by the 3,500 soldiers, that would be 0.77 of a litre per day."
Government spokesman added that some of the 990,000 litres of beer and 69,000 litres of wine had also been distributed to other NATO contingents, German police and visitors, including journalists.
