Hill 431 is the name the soldiers have given to a hilltop in the northern Afghan Char Darah District where the German Army has installed an outpost. Nothing here reminds of troops who drill wells and build bridges in the Hindukush region. Germany is at war here, at least that is what the troops think, although the politicians do not want to speak that out clearly.

Newly excavated trenches cross the hilltop. The soldiers man heavy machine guns, snipers scan the environment for threats. Everybody here has already been in combat against the Taliban. The soldiers were sent to this inhospitable area of Kunduz province by the German Parliament - now many of them feel let down by their homeland.

At early noon a platoon of infantry forces waits in the Kunduz camp to relieve the comrades of the Quick Reaction Force on Hill 431. The soldiers make jokes, some smoke a cigarette before the convoy leaves. The battle-tested men will spend the coming days outside of the walls of their camp. The German Army does not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. The soldiers are not supposed to go into short missions, return and let the Taliban regain the territory by default.

"The basic principle of our tactics is that we will only go in if we and the Afghan forces can stay out there", says Colonel Kai Rohrschneider, the commanding officer of the Provincial Reconstruction Team. He hopes for another infantry company. German and Afghan forces had entered Char Darah last summer for Operation "Eagle". They battled the Taliban in serious engagements and withdrew after a couple of days. The Taliban returned. Rumor has spread the self-proclaimed holy warriors would have created death lists with the names of Afghans who "collaborated" with foreigners.

This freezing day's reinforcements for Hill 431 are ready for marching off the camp. A non-commissioned officer briefs the troops before they leave. "The situation is unimproved", the warnings of roadside bombs are still "valid". There are tip-offs that insurgents have converted three vehicles into rolling bombs, one of them with up to 600 pounds of explosives. "Elbe" and "Danube" are the callsigns the German Army has given to waypoints on the route to Char Darah which the convoy of Dingo and Fuchs armoured personnel carriers will use.

The soldiers wear body armour. Gloves are supposed to protect against burns, protective goggles are worn to prevent blindness. Earplugs protect the eardrum from perforation in case of rocket propelled grenade attacks. The Taliban are not impressed by the Germans' supremacy, a soldier says with a mix of admiration and disgust. The insurgents regularly attack without cover and fire until the Germans kill them. Another soldier says the insurgents are "quite resourceful and motivated".

Petty Officer 1st Class Holger - only his given name may be publicized - is a Dingo driver. He starts the engine and advises all to take their helmets off. The shock wave could throw the occupants against the roof if a roadside bomb struck the vehicle. A helmet could break someone's neck then. "And if we are attacked so badly that we need helmets inside of our vehicles, we have different things to worry about anyway" says the 38-years old. He laughs. Holger says he likes his job, he has also tried more smooth positions within the German Army but he liked none.

The convoy leaves and crosses the southern quarter of Kunduz and then marchs into Char Darah. Children wave, just like it was a few years ago when Kunduz was one of the most peaceful provinces in Afghanistan. Some boys form a triangle with their fingers like they would play volleyball. The Germans comped volleyballs recently, now these boys want some too. Suddenly one of the vehicles reports an Afghan with a cellphone on the other side of the road. The Taliban have created a network of "spotters" who report the German movements. The soldiers cannot do anything about it - the Afghan could just as well call a friend.

Holger has been stationed in Kunduz since November, he served an earlier tour there last year. "Of course the situation is worse" he says. "During my first tour we could easily enter every village in this district, and we did. Nowadays our freedom of movement is seriously restricted". He is not afraid, Holger says. "I have a healthy grade of tenseness, I am wide-awake and focused on my work. We have been in gunbattles here. You are just doing your job and do not think about what is happening."

"Of course" he thinks his mission would make a sense, says Holger. "Otherwise I would not be here". As for the debate at home where a majority of the people want a quick withdrawal from the Hindukush, H

Great photos. Thanks for posting.