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Lars Klingbeil has been General Secretary of the SPD since December 2017
Photo: Christophe Gateau / dpa
Two ex-Bundeswehr soldiers were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of planning an illegal mercenary force to be deployed in Yemen.
The suspicion is an attempt to found a terrorist organization.
Also in the guard battalion of the defense department, which takes part in all state visits, is currently being investigated.
According to SPIEGEL information, there were indications that a strictly right-wing group of soldiers had formed in the Bundeswehr association.
SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil has now warned against placing the Bundeswehr under general suspicion in view of allegations of extremism.
Right-wing extremism among the soldiers "must not be downplayed at any point," he told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
"But I also oppose blanket convictions."
"In the Bundeswehr in particular, you have a duty to take a closer look," said Klingbeil.
But he knows many soldiers »who are involved in our democratic society and in associations.
They are very honorable people. ”Klingbeil himself refused to do military service and instead did community service in the station mission in Hanover.
Defense of the Afghanistan mission
Klingbeil refused to reintroduce compulsory military service, as suggested by the Bundestag's defense commissioner and his party colleague, Eva Högl.
"At the latest when compulsory military service was reduced to six months, it was clear that such training no longer made sense in terms of security policy," he said.
Instead, voluntary service should be strengthened.
Klingbeil also defended the Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan.
Much has been achieved there and, for example, the terrorist group Al-Qaeda has been smashed.
"But the assignment wasn't clear in the last few years, and the print wasn't creditable," he admitted.
We owe the soldiers a reappraisal.
lau / AFP
