Commemorative act in Berlin
Great appreciation for Afghanistan soldiers – but the way they deal with the troops arouses criticism
Bundeswehr soldiers near Kunduz in 2011. The deployment of German troops in Afghanistan took 20 years and cost 59 men their lives.
© Maurizio Gambarini / DPA
In Berlin, soldiers will be honored for their service in the Hindu Kush this Wednesday. But dealing with the returning troops alone had sparked a dispute.
The deployment of German soldiers in Afghanistan is to be honored by politicians in Berlin this Wednesday. A major commemorative act is planned to symbolically close the Bundeswehr mission, which was completed after 20 years. The 59 men who died there should also be remembered. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) will also pay tribute to the commitment.
However, there has been a dispute for months about the appreciation of the mission – not only because its result is considered questionable by many critics after the Taliban came to power, but also because the handling of the last homecoming caused a lot of head shaking.
The last machine with Bundeswehr soldiers from Afghanistan landed quietly in Wunstorf
When the last plane from Afghanistan landed in Wunstorf, Lower Saxony, a good three months ago to bring home the German soldiers who had remained in the Hindu Kush, neither Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) nor other politicians were there to greet those returning home . There was a lot of criticism at the time. The lack of Kramp-Karrenbauers had been criticized as a lack of appreciation of the commitment.
The withdrawal of all NATO forces from Afghanistan was followed by the takeover of power by the militant Islamist Taliban at the end of August. “I am firmly convinced that the Bundeswehr can be proud of its mission in Afghanistan,” the Defense Ministry had quoted Kramp-Karrenbauer on Tuesday. “All the orders that Parliament has given have been fulfilled. Nevertheless, it is also about taking stock – openly and honestly.”
Criticism of the federal government has now also come from the FDP. “It was not the soldiers who let the Afghanistan engagement fail, but the federal government, which was unable and unwilling to evaluate and adjust the goals it had set,” said FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. “The task of the Bundeswehr is comparable to an anesthetist during an operation. He can only calm the patient for a while,” said Strack-Zimmermann. “During this time, the surgeon, that is, politicians, have to get down to work. If they don’t, even the best anesthesia won’t help. The patient wakes up and is still not saved.”
The defense commissioner of the Bundestag, Eva Högl, reiterated her demand for a further processing of the operation. A study commission in the Bundestag would be a good framework for this, said the SPD politician to the editorial network Germany. “After Afghanistan there can be no longer any more. We have to discuss the Bundeswehr missions abroad more intensively. The soldiers need clear guidelines and realistic goals.”
Big tattoo in the evening in Berlin
The commemoration begins with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Bundeswehr Memorial in the early afternoon. There will then be a central closing roll call on the parade ground of the Ministry of Defense, to which the Federal President and Chancellor are expected. In the evening, the mission on the Republic Square in front of the Reichstag building is to be honored with a big tattoo.
The Bundeswehr ended its mission – most recently as part of the NATO training mission “Resolute Support” – on June 29 and cleared the field camp in Mazar-i-Sharif. This was followed by a swift victory for the Taliban and a military evacuation mission (“airlift”) for German citizens and endangered Afghans from the capital, Kabul.
sources: dpa, “Tagesschau.de“.