 The attack on the German forces after the visit of chancellor Angela Merkel on April 7, 2009 and the following months showed that the Taliban and their allies exerted heavy pressure to try and force the German troops out of Afghanistan, since involvement in the conflict has been controversial in Germany.The ISAF and Afghan forces began an offensive to reinforce the control and security of Kunduz Province before the Afghan presidential election in August 2009, and reduce pressure on the German forces before the German federal election in September.A second focus was to free the routes into Afghanistan from Uzbekistan, since it was planned to change the supply routes for ISAF to a route from Uzbekistan.