envoy a fun guy i don't support. an exclusive d.w. report alongside venezuelan journalist say sorry but he's a closer look at the country's catastrophic conditions on the way to colombia a show that. starts march eighteenth. german peacekeeping troops on patrol in mali. this often fits the biggest challenge i've ever faced. the troops are still finding their way around. isn't outsiders so we're trying to get a grip on the situation. there mr baez to some this mission raises serious ethical questions. what are we doing here is this what should we be hearings.

the. first lieutenant mathias lena is a platoon leader in mountain infantry company base near bad reichenhall in bavaria in a few weeks he'll head out on his first foreign mission to mali. what i was going up maybe if anything needs fixing tell me otherwise i'll assume it's ok of course boston. does this and i don't get that gotten used to the idea of foreign deployment and you learn that early on if you're in the military you're probably going to be sent overseas but you never know when or where organ or does it work on. and off guard dogs you get your orders and you go where they tell you. in the tradition

of course there are ways to get out of those kinds of missions but generally speaking it's not open to discussions and even. those founders are sort of outta. mathias is twenty seven years old he and his wife clara live in munich they got married recently and she's now pregnant mathias and clara grew up in berlin and have known each other since this school days after he graduated from high school mathias signed up for a twelve year hitch in the bundeswehr later he attended officer training school. i mean if i'm you going to my family was surprised they had no ties at all to the military but in and in my high school it was really unusual for anyone to consider military service even hoped in the incentives at the time i thought the bundeswehr would offer me a little adventure and a chance to work outdoors like you've all seen some of that's why i joined the sort

of suspicious good sort now he's going on a dangerous mission is sensitive route i'm actually pretty nervous about it sunday i'm not worried about his personal safety but these soldiers have to face all kinds of challenges and that can cause a lot of stress including psychological stress subtly say our last few years i kind of i'm concerned about all that stuff but if you join the fund you have certain responsibilities and i believe that jamie is right to take on these kinds of missions i just wish that they wouldn't send my husband to dangerous places but that's how it is his. dismissal. at the bundeswehr combat training center new mag to bug you ten atlanta and his platoon a preparing for their mission which will probably involve counter insurgency measure has. wanted to.

give good do it today we're going to simulate a patrol in an operational area. i love the whole world is going to all of this all our job will be to secure the perimeter of the battle and prevent direct or indirect attacks on our camp as well. oh boy if we're attacked it's important to take cover and establish fire superiority for you with the lights off that's the background any questions or thoughts on that it's. just our platoon is made up of. a pretty diverse group of guys and we have to learn to work together in. minutes on kind of these when we're finished with this training program i want to be sure that my men will be ready for this mission. and when you come. along the

this situation will be new for me and that creates a certain amount of tension. it's also new for most of these men. when it's their first real mission in a conflict zone specifically molly. if you will you be it's one you're. the soldiers have no idea what's going to happen during this exercise. this ahmed vehicle is about to hit an i.e.d. will be tracked. by the onto your i.e.d. onto their there's three this is full should we close the road or keep going. on this is very close the road where you are. going delta told one knock. this is target i'm going to wounded here one with birds you still drawn on my.

office's monitor and evaluate the exercise now the wounded are being brought to safety and then you have the consequence of these exercises you just rely on your training but you don't get emotional about it because it's just practice i haven't experienced the real thing yet but often we don't need as was just a mission. linda has called in a helicopter to transport the wounded the platoon secu is the area and blocks off the road standard operating procedure but the instructors say that the men stayed too long neither the new vehicle. just don't just focus on first aid like the entire unit is pinned down near the vehicles and it may be attacked again so leave the kill zone as quickly as possible because it's let's be honest because to also carry out the way in just provide covering fire and get as far away from the vehicle as you can so that it is because.

he is now packing for his mission in mali twelve thousand un peacekeeping troops are already there the german soldiers will receive extra hot shit pay so what is there to advise on it looks like we'll have just two minutes a day to take a shower. i can do that before i go to bed well that was involved. it's always been the best i think i weigh about one hundred twenty kilos with the body armor and all the other combat gear you can plan on without it i weighed ninety three kilos or something like that of being right. in the unsponsored i'm twenty seven years old i've trained forty one men to the point where i feel comfortable serving with them on a mission for four months and we're headed for a conflict zone of the corps people can be killed. or. that's something you could

never imagine happening in germany. and how do i deal with all of this expensive equipment. it's all on my shoulders. lieutenant laina the miracle worker. lancelot. this is the bundeswehr air transport facility at cologne born airport after almost a year of planning training and practice your ten and eleven and his unit a starting the first overseas mission. to the north of me to call i've known for some time what i'm getting into and now we're underway we've trained for this and i'd say that i'm pretty relaxed right now that mitchell search for one .

lane and his men will be in mali for at least four months. this is the city of galle in northern mali about ninety thousand people live here a rich mix of ethnic groups tribes and religions in two thousand and twelve two are regrettable is an islamist fighters occupied the city the rebels lightly declared the region's independence from the rest of the country. in twenty thirteen the united nations sent peacekeeping troops to the region today more than fifteen thousand soldiers from nearly fifty countries is serving there about a thousand german troops are stationed it can't cast a navy airfield on the outskirts of gal. well listen

you can get used to just about anything but it's still stressful. and there are more pleasant things to do than working outside all day in forty degree heat and then spending the evening in a tent with nine or ten other guys. and people are always coming and going and we do guard duty in shifts some of the guys have to get up at four in the morning to do that. so you have to be considerate of the people in your tent. in the unit and there's no place here where you can just be by yourself. and. as soon as his unit arrives at the camp they stop preparing for this mission. the moment if you want to meet with the squad leaders today. then there's a good first thing to morrow morning. i'm always right we'll take care of the stuff

on your to do list so i won't have to deal with it tomorrow or. we'll let the guys rest and get ready. and when are they going to meet with. the new troops is set to head out on the first patrol tomorrow when they're off duty the soldiers are not allowed to leave the camp because of the threat of insurgent attacks. just you know. this mission requires a sense of duty. there's no room for emotion here if you don't feel like carrying out a particular order and you can't just refuse you have to do it and do it well because that's part of the job. can be frustrating sometimes but you just have to deal with it until. the officer who linda is replacing gives him a status update including local insurgent activity lane and his unit will serve as a quick reaction force known as the short. as they could think you are after is

like a fire brigade if a dangerous situation develops somewhere it's all. our job to respond to it was in place between good anything can happen and we have to be prepared to move out quickly and deal with it. and that's what i've done this. if someone needs help they call us you know. it's time for reconnaissance patrol. on the dental plans i'm on we're going to drive around the city so that we can get a general idea of the layout might be going off don't you would call both. sets this woman as evidence you know it's not unusual to see someone walking around

with a gun but you never know which side they're on. there are a lot of dangers that you just can't see the threat of attack is always there it's on the other hand some of the local residents wave at us especially the kids going off and on and that's a positive development. to them. the patrol of arrives at an observation post and gets a briefing on the situation a. lot of the what about that checkpoint of the family it's a list area is controlled by five of the molly and government troops and i was there some hesco barrier is there a member got a machine gun and the guys spend most of the day just lying around in the shade. mani's military doesn't have the troops all of the equipment to provide proper security in this part of the country that's why the u.n.

peacekeepers are here. meanwhile in munich clara has been taking her lower exams and she's well along in her pregnancy. the type of your plans are time goes by slowly but i've got a lot going on right now i'm taking my exams when i'm pregnant with our first child and of course i really miss my husband but he and i are a team and we both have different things to take care of. and off down the guys that would i was up and still i miss having him here to take over some of the work . or to just give me a hug. not to loose as part. mathias sends a text message he wants to know how she is and she writes a little about his mission is that he's also missing doesn't provide a lot of detail because he doesn't want me to worry time especially concerned that

he might develop psychological problems could happen if they were actually involved in combat but there's going to be a lot of stress until he comes back. and then over the first few weeks months i'll see whether he's changed and if so. does he also on the call. if it's ok i would prefer to be with my wife is that home alone and pregnant that's all she's in a tough position and that just breaks my heart and i don't like to think about the fact that i had to leave her by herself at this difficult time because of this gun law elaine is unit has been here for three months now what was going on that i was nothing as i thought another day of doing nothing i suppose i could work out but tonight i just want to relax a little. bit but suddenly it's time to go to work i don't have to push to the spot and you will be a couple. that come but out of the much of it double talk of course i. don't they

don't. delta is lieutenant lin his call sign in radio traffic. i didn't tell to all units move out to do what i did they didn't the. horses come in that there's a cache of explosives hidden on a road north of gal this represents a danger to soldiers and civilians elaina's platoon is ordered to find secure and defuse the explosives they'll be accompanied by a munitions disposal team from cambodia. i doubt i will not be able to to all units situation report we're going to get new coordinates from the cambodians. i'll get them to you shortly right now we're just a little north of those new coordinates. is the only going over we still don't know exactly what we're dealing with so we've set up

a large security perimeter because of the nature of the terrain. the cambodians are sweeping the area right now. they have a wide area to cover them with not but that they cover. the cambodian troops use metal detectors to look for mines unexploded ordinance and baby traps any mistakes can be deadly. but there were a lot of men passed the status report along to the joint operations command line and the full interview with the sweep turned up nothing so the cambodians are going to call off the search the version sometimes a mission just doesn't work out so we can do each other. from time to time i ask myself is what are we actually doing here should we be here at all. what makes us different from guys who are just looking for a little excitement. and view a bit. better than guys who drive around in the desert where they could be killed

by an i.e.d. or stung by a scorpion. the names for you and. clara keeps hearing media reports about attacks in mali that cause casualties she tries to lead a normal life and in front of her friends she puts on a brace face. if the u.n. troops are involved in the fighting my husband can tell me about it anyway and i worry that one day the door bell will ring and someone in uniform will be standing there that kind of fear just paralyzes you as demanded by the talk. of the. in this training exercise an armored vehicle has hit a baby trap. the driver is seriously wounded in his unit provides

first aid get the morphine and i think that i could response can mean the difference between life and death. all the statistics all seem to statistics show that the mortality rate is highest during the first hour. that's why it's so important to treat the wounded as quickly as possible they don't also didn't want it gone cold. even jaring a training exercise like this the troops try to make that sixty minutes stand to risk you helicopters take off from camp caster with doctors and paramedics on board . yes. it's now nine thirty seven. if they still need twenty minutes they're behind schedule but there must've been some communication problems that's definitely too long. the rescue helicopter arrives just in time the wounded

soldier is put on board in the end things turned out ok. younger than i want to thank god we haven't had to deal with the real thing yet when it's like you don't think about the fact that it could happen at any time because it wasn't going to. get your car you know nobody wants to take a human life without good reason but we're here to carry out our mission and to do that we have to be properly prepared. and. i'm fully aware of the fact that under extreme circumstances i may have to kill someone or order my men to kill us. but we will only do so when it's absolutely necessary. and this. is. the u.n. peacekeepers a trying to stabilize the political situation in mali and to protect its people.

all this village has a small community center a school and the mosque today we're going to meet the village elder. it's about five hundred meters from here. but even a short march without an armored vehicle for protection is dangerous in this part of the country. the village called the tallent is low. ok today about an hour's drive north of gal. from up the lobby of. this visit is part of lieutenant lynas ethen to learn more about the local residents there's no use doing. ok i give them my public but. during these meetings you tenant always tries to be friendly. to the village elders is pleased that the german troops are here.

we smile we have a lot of problems in mali and the un peacekeepers are helping us to solve them they should stay here if they grieve things could get difficult again. these personal contacts with local residents showed the german soldiers that their mission is important. it's not just sitting around in the desert. almost five months have passed now since lennon and his men arrived in mali. they spent weeks touring reconnaissance patrols in support work but they never fired a shot. and now it's time to return to germany. back home critics have complained that the mission in mali has not achieved much

they say that germany has no business sending troops here. but these soldiers are here to carry out their orders even if they didn't agree with some of them. some of our orders were nonsense in fact a lot of them were we all wondered what we were doing here you know i certainly did because of all still every single one of you did your damn job and you did it well . on the gulf. news. and now after one hundred forty one days in mali lieutenant lenna is on his way back to germany. because if you start out i hope i can definitely say that this mission changed me this but i can't say how just yet it's not so i think i'll find out only after i get home and start interacting with people again all that's going to start is based on their souls that.

it's two months mathias clara and their infant daughter have moved from munich to bad russian hol a mountain infantry brigade is stationed near the town. not to fly was lucky because i didn't become depressed after our mission with the before and i love being with my daughter but a new baby is a real challenge. i don't have time to think about anything else. and the time. to talk good job well done. this law will as this i think he's a lot more coming relaxed than he used to be. especially in stressful situations and. that's what he wants now and how to get it i think that he's learned what's

important to him in life this is who and who comes to most of. the sit there to night it's good that there will be more missions probably in mali again is what i have new responsibilities now because i have a family i can't think about the military all the time. it was but someone has to sign up for those missions. i think it's important to make a contribution to society that felt like it doesn't matter whether it's working in a nursing home for the elderly or picking up the garbage every day that of and. for me also my contribution to society is military service because it offline and i'm convinced that it's an important one dozens in the published issue and. that's what . the parliamentary

mandate for the bundesbank mission to mali is jews who expire in may twenty ninth. the buddhists talk to the side with the to renew it.

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this is news coming to you live from new zealand is set to tighten gun control laws in the wake of the christ church shootings as the nation remembers those who don't . i'm. students perform the haka a ceremonial maori dance to.