Status: 05.10.2021 8:05 a.m.
Several federal ministries have paid a total of more than 17.3 billion euros for the Afghanistan mission. The federal government is keeping a secret which infrastructure that has been built up with German money is now being used by the Taliban.
The Bundeswehr and German development workers were deployed in Afghanistan for twenty years, and various federal ministries spent a total of more than 17.3 billion euros on it. According to a response from the federal government to a small request from the FDP, the largest item was the military.
The Ministry of Defense paid a total of around 12.3 billion euros for the Bundeswehr’s participation in the “International Security Assistance Force”, “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Resolute Support Missions” operations. The Foreign Office spent 1.48 billion euros in project-related personnel and material costs, which arose in addition to the regular diplomatic service. The Ministry of Development paid a further EUR 2.46 billion, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture EUR 33 million.
BND issues secret
The BND also incurred expenses for the mission. However, the federal government does not disclose them because they are classified as secret. A disclosure would “severely impair the fulfillment of the tasks of the Federal Intelligence Service, which in turn could endanger the security of the Federal Republic of Germany or cause serious damage to its interests”, according to the Federal Government.
In this context, it should not be known which infrastructure, which was built with German money, is now being used by the Taliban. This would make information on the skills, methods and knowledge of the BND “accessible to an indefinable group of people not only in Germany but also abroad”, according to the federal government.
Balance sheet debate begins
On Wednesday, the first conclusions from the Afghanistan mission will be drawn at an all-day event entitled “20 Years of Afghanistan – Starting Shot for a Balance Sheet Debate”. Defense politicians from the factions of the SPD, Greens, FDP and also the Union had canceled the appointment with reference to the upcoming exploratory talks. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is sticking to the date despite strong criticism.
The evaluation of the operation by the highest superiors is owed to the soldiers, so a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. The absent political groups would then receive reports on the conference. An appreciation of the mission is also planned for October 13th.