As of: 09/22/2021 4:41 p.m.
Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer and Chancellor Merkel applauded those involved in the Bundeswehr’s mission in Afghanistan. The minister said that the mission was viewed with great appreciation.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer paid tribute to the almost 20 years of the Bundeswehr’s mission in Afghanistan in front of around 400 soldiers. She defended the mission. At the same time, after the end of this mission, an “open and honest” balance must be drawn, said the CDU politician in an appeal for participants in the evacuation mission from Kabul. Chancellor Angela Merkel also took part in the event in the paratrooper barracks in Seedorf in Lower Saxony.
“The mission in Afghanistan was right,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. The former SPD Defense Minister Peter Struck was right that Germany’s security had also been defended in the Hindu Kush. “It was important for our own security that Afghanistan does not remain a safe haven for Islamist terrorism,” said the minister. At the same time, “realistic objectives for future deployments” should be developed from experience.
Honor for soldiers of the Afghanistan evacuation mission
Olaf Kretschmer, NDR, daily news 5:00 p.m., 22.9.2021
Awards for soldiers
Kramp-Karrenbauer thanked the soldiers involved for their commitment. The circumstances were extreme and the political pressure was high. She emphasized that the soldiers could be proud of the dangerous evacuation mission carried out successfully: “This mission gives 5347 people a chance for a safer and better future.” She also described the important role of the Bundeswehr in society. It is an important part of German credibility in the world.
Chancellor Merkel awarded some soldiers with the mission medal on behalf of all those involved in the mission. A total of more than 400 members of the Bundeswehr took part in the solemn pledge.
Chancellor Angela Merkel at the roll call in Seedorf.
Image: EPA
Taliban quickly recaptured the country
After the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001, Germany participated as an ally in NATO-led operations in Afghanistan. When the Americans withdrew that summer, control of the Asian country quickly returned to the militant Islamist Taliban.
To save foreigners and Afghan employees, the Bundeswehr set up an airlift for eleven days in August. More than 5,300 vulnerable people were flown from Kabul to Tashkent in Uzbekistan.