The committee of inquiry into the withdrawal from Afghanistan has drawn an interim conclusion. The focus is on the different interests of the departments. There is also criticism of the then Chancellor Merkel.
After more than a year, the Afghanistan Investigative Committee is doing important work, but given the current world situation, it is currently living in the shadows. Every Thursday during session weeks, MPs interview witnesses for twelve hours to come to terms with the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul.
Since the ministers involved at the time are in political retirement, tactical political games are rare. That was the biggest surprise for her so far, says Green defense politician Sara Nanni during the panel discussion. “And the interest in the investigation is not disturbed in any way by questions of loyalty regarding the witnesses.”
Criticism of structural problems
On the contrary, after a year of hearing witnesses, the MPs agree on key points: There was no fundamental knowledge problem in the run-up to the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rather, it was foreseeable very early on that the Taliban would take power in Afghanistan again. Only the pace was surprising.
FDP MP Ann-Veruschka Jurisch therefore criticizes the lack of an early warning system and structural problems between the ministries involved. “So, does the departmental system like we have in Germany hinder the ability to create common situation reports and act together?” she asks.
The foreign, interior, defense and development ministries all had knowledge, but they also had their own interests. The committee chairman Ralf Stegner speaks of “departmental egoism”. Looking back, his SPD party friend Jörg Nürnberger criticizes the passive role of the Federal Chancellery under Angela Merkel: “There were definitely contradictory positions that can be explained from the different departmental perspectives and in the end there was no authority that could have resolved these conflicts or perhaps did not want to resolve them .”
Disagreement regarding the evacuation of local staff
Example of Afghan local staff: The SPD-led Foreign Ministry under Heiko Maas did not want to evacuate the Afghan local staff for a long time. Out of concern that this could lead to political destabilization of the country. In Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s CDU-led Defense Ministry, however, there was a duty of care towards Afghan employees.
And Horst Seehofer’s CSU-led Interior Ministry insisted on “proper visa procedures in Afghanistan” despite the threat to life and limb. CDU defense politician Thomas Röwekamp later spoke of a mistake: “There was no embassy that issued visas. Getting exit visas for people at risk was extremely difficult.”
In parallel to the committee of inquiry, a commission of experts is working on 20 years of the Bundeswehr’s mission in Afghanistan. She also wants to present an interim report soon. The will to learn from mistakes for future missions remains strong.