Germans, Danes mourn troop losses

The troops were killed trying to destroy two Russian-made SA-3 missiles like these

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Germany and Denmark are mourning the loss of the five soldiers killed in an ordnance-clearing accident in Afghanistan.

Three Danish members of the 18-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and two Germans were killed in Kabul on Wednesday when two Soviet-era missiles accidentally exploded while they were preparing them for destruction.

Eight other soldiers -- five German and three Danish -- were wounded.

German Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping broke off a trip to visit troops in the Horn of Africa following the incidents to return back to Berlin where he gave a press conference on Thursday.

"The tragic death of Danish and German soldiers brings home the risks associated with all military actions," he told reporters.

"Even though the soldiers were fully prepared ... such events can always happen."

He announced that the armed forces had launched inquiries into the circumstances of the separate incidents.

"The sense and the goals of this mission are not changed by such a tragic and terrible accident," he said.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed "great sorrow" for the loss of the Danish soldiers but said their deaths would not change his country's commitment to the U.S.-led war against terrorism.

"It will continue to be a major part of the Danish defence and security policy that we participate in the international fight against terrorism," he told reporters.

Also on Wednesday, two more German servicemen died of hypothermia after their boat capsized during an exercise in the Baltic Sea.

The two men were thrown into the water during a transfer between the German frigate FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the British Royal Navy vessel HMS Cumberland.

The pair, who were taking part in the NATO exercise "Strong Resolve 2002" off the Polish coast, were rescued, but later died from hypothermia.

'Duty calls'

German newspapers were dominated by the accidents. "The war in Afghanistan has drawn us in. At a stroke, it's become clear just how dangerous this mission 5,000 km (3,000 miles) from home is," said top-selling newspaper Bild.

Danish media stressed that despite the accident, the mission should continue.

"This accident must not create any doubts about Denmark's engagement in international conflicts or willingness to assist our allies when duty calls," the newspaper Jyllands-Posten said.

The soldiers killed in Kabul were attempting to destroy two Russian-made SA-3 ground-to-air missiles with a controlled explosion at a munitions collection point about three miles from a German military's base in the city.

Officials said the bodies of the dead soldiers would be flown to their home countries on either Thursday or Friday.

The deaths were the first among the International Security Assistance Force since its arrival in December to maintain order in areas of Afghanistan liberated from Taliban rule.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent condolences to the families of the dead soldiers, calling it a tragic accident.

"It was a task that did not have anything to do with military conflict," Schroeder said. "There is no reason to question the mission."

Germany's decision last November to offer troops for the U.S.-led war on terrorism was preceded by a wrenching national debate over the most far-reaching deployment since World War II.