From Deutsche Welle:  German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere has admitted that conditions could be better for Bundeswehr troops stationed in Turkey. After a report that was critical of the situation, the minister promised improvements.

German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere admitted he had noted that there were issues to address while on a visit to the site where German soldiers are deployed.

"Even though I tend to be shown the better side of how things are, I also perceived that there were certain problems," de Maiziere told the German mass circulation daily Bild’s Saturday edition. . . .

De Maiziere made the comments after a report by Germany’s special commissioner for the armed forces, Hellmut Königshaus, which said that cooperation between the German and Turkish contingents was "perceived mainly as a problem."

The report said that meals were monotonous and that usually there was only cold food. Toilets were described as "filthy," most of them having no flush. The bodies of dead dogs, shot by the Turkish soldiers, had been left to decompose on the site. . . .

One German female soldier was allegedly pushed by a Turkish general during a visit by de Maiziere to the base at Kahramanmaras. She later complained of bruising. (photo: Reuters)  (via Hans de Vreij)