BERLIN, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Germany's former defence minister and current Labor Minister Franz Josef Jung resigned on Friday over widespread accusation of covering up information on an air strike in Afghanistan in September this year that killed as many as 142 people.

    "I take political responsibility," Jung, 50, told a press conference here in Berlin.

    Later on Friday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen would take over as labor minister to replace Jung.

    Jung thus becomes the first minister in Merkel's new cabinet to resign. The cabinet had just taken office in October.

    Jung had been defence minister in Merkel's last cabinet from 2005-2009, he shifted to be the minister of labor within Merkel's current government.

    Earlier on Thursday, Germany's military chief of staff, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, and Deputy Defense Minister Peter Wichert resigned when it emerged that the defense ministry had attempted to keep the civilian deaths a secret.

    During a debate at the German parliament on Thursday, Jung defended his actions in the aftermath of Germany's deadly airstrike in early September, but the calls for his resignation were reaching fever pitch across the country, leading to Jung's quit.

    Von der Leyen was reappointed as family minister last month when Merkel won a second term.

    Von der Leyen belongs to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), who share power with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) at the current coalition government.

    A trained doctor with seven children, von der Leyen is one of Germany's most popular politicians and has won credit for introducing measures to try to boost Germany's birth rate as family minister.

    On Friday, Merkel also decided to appoint Kristina Koehler to replace von der Leyen to serve as family minister.

    Kristina Koehler, 32, thus becomes the youngest minister in Merkel's cabinet. Koehler is a CDU lawmaker from the western German state of Hesse, she has until now specialized in integration matters.

    Merkel said the new ministers would take up their posts on Monday.