Dealing with Afghan aid workers: “The German government has failed”

In view of the Taliban’s advance in Afghanistan, criticism of the German government’s handling of local workers is growing. They are being helped too hesitantly, say civil society and politics. Yesterday the Taliban captured Kunduz.

With the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, criticism of the way the German government deals with its local helpers is also growing. Until the end of their deployment in the country, the Bundeswehr in particular had to rely on the support of so-called local staff, who now fear for their lives and that of their relatives due to the advance of the Taliban.

“Moral compass completely lost”

The government had “completely lost its moral compass,” said the chairman of the sponsorship network for Afghan local workers, Marcus Grotian, of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The self-organizing departure procedures would be protracted.

The chairman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Wolfgang Hellmich, told the newspaper: “What is the crazy idea that the families are on their way, deal with the procedure and book the flights themselves? When I look at the map, I see how the Taliban encircle the cities, “said the SPD politician. The procedure is too bureaucratic. Green parliamentary group vice-president Agnieszka Brugger said: “The German government has failed to provide comprehensive, safe and quick help to all local staff in Afghanistan.

Two and a half weeks ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel promised more support for the local staff and, among other things, brought up charter flights to fly out helpers with their families. According to the report, according to the Interior Ministry, so far 471 local employees and their relatives have completed travel documents – a total of 2851. As of Thursday, 1,796 had come to Germany, of which 296 were former local employees.

Taliban conquer Kunduz

Meanwhile, the militant Islamist Taliban are continuing their offensive in the country. On Sunday they took the provincial capital Kunduz in the north of the country. The city fell after fierce fighting, three provincial councilors from the dpa news agency confirmed.

Kunduz has long been besieged by Taliban fighters. In the past two days, the Islamists have intensified their attacks, said the provincial councils. Apart from a military base around three kilometers from the city center and the airport, the Taliban now controlled the entire city. They would have taken over the most important government institutions in Kunduz. The people had neither water nor food and were hiding in their houses.

Bundeswehr stationed in the city for years

In Germany, Kunduz is best known because the Bundeswehr had a large field camp nearby for years. Nowhere in Afghanistan were more Germans killed than in Kunduz and the neighboring province of Baghlan. In the previous year, around 100 German soldiers were stationed in “Camp Pamir”. Provincial Councilor Amruddin Wali said that security forces and government officials have now withdrawn to this very military base near the airport, which is now home to the 217th Afghan Army Corps.

The loss of Kunduz weighs heavily on the Afghan government. The city is an important trading center near the border with neighboring Tajikistan. It was briefly captured by the Taliban in 2015 and 2016. Both times the Islamists were pushed back with US air strikes.

Captured two more provincial capitals

In addition, the Taliban captured two other provincial capitals in northern Afghanistan. The extremists overran Talokan, the capital of Tachar province in the north of the country, said two MPs from the region. After a four-week siege, the Taliban had already brought parts of the city under their control.

According to the provincial councils, Sar-i Pul in the province of the same name also fell to the Islamists. Accordingly, the Taliban also have the most important government buildings there under their control. All government representatives had withdrawn to a military base around one kilometer from the center of the city with around 180,000 inhabitants, which was besieged. The Taliban fired mortar shells at the base.

On Friday, the small provincial capital Saranj on the Iranian border fell to the Taliban practically without a fight. The city of Schiberghan in the north followed on Saturday. Thus, within three days, five provincial capitals in the country were overrun by the Taliban.