After the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the Islamist Taliban took power in the country – and are redesigning it according to their ideas. The most important developments in the news blog.
The US military has said it has reduced its troop presence at Kabul Airport by “several hundred” soldiers. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said that this was part of the normal decision-making power of the local commander during an ongoing operation. These include headquarters employees, maintenance specialists and other soldiers whose mission at the airport has been completed, he said. The US military last had around 5,800 soldiers there.
Kirby stressed that the routine withdrawal of some troops did not mark the beginning of the withdrawal of all soldiers from Afghanistan. This was not ordered at this point, he said. US President Joe Biden is sticking to the plan to withdraw the troops by August 31, next Tuesday. He has also asked the Pentagon and the State Department to propose alternative plans if they should become necessary. (08/25/2021)
Deadlines for taking on local staff extended
The German government has once again relaxed the conditions for accepting its former Afghan local staff. From now on everyone should be able to come to Germany who has been under contract with the armed forces or the federal ministries since 2013. A corresponding report from world confirmed the Ministry of Development and the Federal Foreign Office. Former employees of these two ministries could only submit an application if they had been employed there for the past two years. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior had already extended the deadline to 2013 in June.
How many local workers will be affected remains unclear. Up to the time the Taliban came to power, 1,100 Afghans were still working for the Development Ministry, but only a “middle two-digit number” for the Foreign Office.
The sponsorship network for Afghan local forces in the Bundeswehr had accused the federal government of “failing to provide assistance” in dealing with former employees in the crisis state. It is embittered to such an extent that “we cannot put it into words,” said chairman Marcus Grotian. He primarily blamed the Federal Chancellery. There you would have had the opportunity to bring together the different interests of the ministries, he said. The government headquarters did not respond to five letters from the network in June and July. (08/24/2021)
Merkel: Without the USA, the rescue flights cannot be extended
The heads of state and government of the leading western industrial nations (G7) met via video link to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. In these minutes, Chancellor Angela Merkel will appear in front of the cameras to make a statement.
It was a very important exchange, said Merkel. US President Joe Biden pointed out the worsening security situation. “Very, very close cooperation” between the G7 states and NATO allies is needed, said Merkel. Everyone helps everyone in this effort. The conference “did not reveal any new data” regarding the end of the rescue operation. The question of whether the airport can continue to be operated civilly has not yet been conclusively clarified. The US military currently has around 5800 soldiers at the airport in Kabul. A continuation of the rescue flights without US support is unthinkable. Merkel also emphasized that it would not be possible to continue the campaign without the USA. She also said that the G7 would want to stand up to the Taliban. The White House later also confirmed that it would stick to the planned end of the mission. However, Biden announced that he had asked the Defense Ministry and State Department for contingency plans in order to adjust the schedule if this should become necessary.
The focus of the federal government is on getting its own citizens out of the country. When asked whether the rescue mission could still be completed before September, Merkel said that these efforts would be continued. Germany must not expose its soldiers to any “unreasonable risk”. It was also about long-term issues, which, however, were not the focus of the talks, said Merkel. This includes, for example, the question of how the Taliban could have taken power so quickly. However, this would also have to be discussed later within the framework of NATO.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had spoken out in favor of a rescue agreement with the Taliban for the time after the current Bundeswehr mission – regardless of how long it continues. This should ensure that even then former helpers from the Bundeswehr and federal ministries could be flown out who could not come to Kabul airport at the moment, said the CDU politician in Berlin. “We definitely need a solution and an agreement with the Taliban on the matter of safe conduct that goes beyond the actual evacuation mission.” The Bundeswehr has flown around 3800 people from Afghanistan to date.
Taliban no longer want Afghans to leave the country
The Taliban are ruling out an extension of the rescue operation by international troops at Kabul airport. The agreed deadline expires on August 31, said Taliban spokesman Sabihullah Mujahid in Kabul at a press conference broadcast and translated by the BBC. An extension violates the agreements. At the same time, he announced that Afghans would no longer be allowed into the airport. “We will not allow them to leave the country.”
The US Department of Defense said there have been no changes to the plans to complete the rescue flights on August 31st. Critics complain that by then not all people threatened by the Taliban could be removed from the country. However, the Islamists have threatened consequences if foreign troops should stay in Afghanistan beyond August. A government representative told Reuters that US President Joe Biden followed recommendations from the US Department of Defense. The Ministry of Defense bases its advice on an analysis of the security situation.
Since the Taliban came to power just over a week ago, western countries have been bringing their nationals and other vulnerable people out of the country via Kabul Airport. Mujahid accused the USA of persuading well-educated Afghans to leave the country. He called on the population to stay. The country needs well-trained doctors and engineers, he said. At the same time, he announced that the Taliban want to reduce the crowd at the airport. There are too many people there, they could lose their lives. People should return to their homes and go about their daily lives.
As he did a week ago, the spokesman made extensive security promises to the population. International organizations could continue to work and women could also go about their work when the security situation has eased. No one is being followed and there is no list, said Mujahid. He was referring to reports that the Islamists are systematically looking for opponents and their relatives and threatening them.
Looking at the Pandjir Valley, the last province not controlled by the Taliban, Mujahid said the Taliban are seeking a negotiated solution. He was sure that control of the area would be restored without fighting. “We don’t want any more war in Afghanistan.” (08/24/2021)
Taliban put together new government
The Taliban are putting together a new government and, according to a media report, have appointed the first ministers. The Afghan news agency Pajhwok reported that Gul Agha as finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim as interior minister had been appointed. The new governor of the province of Kabul is Mullah Shirin, the mayor of the capital of the same name is Hamdullah Nomani. The secret service has also received a new tip. Further details were not initially known. The Taliban had already re-appointed the head of the central bank on Monday. Since the Islamists came to power, the banks have been closed and many offices have been empty. The country’s central bank governor has fled Kabul.
Recognition of a Taliban government by other countries would have serious consequences. This could give extremists access to foreign aid on which previous governments in the impoverished country depended. Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out against bilateral recognition of a Taliban government by individual countries. “We want a unified position among all like-minded people, as far as we can get one,” he said. The seven leading industrialized countries discuss the situation in Afghanistan in a video conference.
The leaders of the Taliban, who are trying to maintain a moderate demeanor, are aiming for a swift government to be formed. Talks have already been started in which former opponents such as former President Hamid Karzai also took part. (08/24/2021)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Fears “Return to Previous Patterns of Human Rights Abuses”
The United Nations Human Rights Council held a special session to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The subjects were “serious concerns about the human rights situation,” as the UN body announced. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on the international community to take “united and unequivocal action” as a signal to the Taliban that they could not return to previous practices. China, on the other hand, accused the United States and Great Britain of violating human rights during their military presence in Afghanistan and announced that it wanted to establish a friendly relationship with the future government in Kabul.
Bachelet spoke of “serious fears of a return to earlier patterns of human rights violations”. There are credible reports of violations of international humanitarian law in the Taliban-controlled areas, including collective executions, restrictions on women and girls, the recruitment of child soldiers and the suppression of protests. She also expressed concern about ethnic and religious minorities. The Taliban would have to implement assurances from their spokesmen that they would respect the rights of women and girls. With the conquest of the country, they are responsible for upholding international human rights, stressed Bachelet.
The Commissioner for Human Rights referred to the presence of women in public offices and in the media in Afghanistan. Women made up 27 percent of MPs and a fifth of public employees. By the time the Taliban marched in, 3.5 million girls were in school, compared with 9,000 elementary school students in 1999. Bachelet called the treatment of women and girls a “basic red line”. In addition to respect for their rights to freedom, their right to express their opinion and to work, access to solid higher education is a key indicator of human rights under the Taliban.
Bachelet called on the member states of the United Nations to create safe routes for Afghan refugees and migrants. Asylum and resettlement programs would have to be expanded, and deportations of those seeking protection stopped immediately. Above all, countries with an Islamic population should share positive experiences with the integration of international human rights norms into their cultural and religious contexts. (08/24/2021)