As of: 08/27/2021 6:47 a.m.
After the end of the German airlift in Afghanistan, the Bundeswehr soldiers are expected back in Germany in the afternoon. Rescuing the local workers left behind should continue to have priority.
The German evacuation mission at Kabul Airport has ended and the Bundeswehr forces are expected in Germany in the afternoon. At 4 p.m., the approximately 600 soldiers who were involved in the operation will be received at the military airfield in Wunstorf, announced the Ministry of Defense.
They will be welcomed by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Inspector General Eberhard Zorn, the Defense Commissioner of the German Bundestag, Eva Högl, and other politicians.
Last machine landed in Frankfurt that night
Shortly before one o’clock in the morning, the last plane with refugees landed at Frankfurt Airport. An extension of the airlift was not possible due to the security situation in Kabul, tweeted the Ministry of Defense. But they will continue to take care of those who remain to be protected.
Paratroopers, soldiers from the Special Forces Command (KSK), military police, crisis support teams, paramedics, military police, members of the air force and other Bundeswehr specialists in Germany, in Tashkent and at the airport in Kabul were all involved in the rescue operation in Kabul.
Since August 16, Germany, along with other nations, has been involved in bringing German citizens, Afghan local workers and their families, and other people in need of protection to safety.
“The federal government has only limited strategic capabilities,” said Andre Wüstner, chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, on German policy on Afghanistan
Topics of the day 10:15 p.m., 8/26/2021
A total of almost 5400 people flown out
According to Kramp-Karrenbauer, the Bundeswehr flew a total of 5,347 people, including more than 4,000 Afghans and around 500 Germans, first to Tashkent and on to Germany via the airlift. Kramp-Karrenbauer said that even after the end of the evacuation operation, Germany would remain responsible for the people who could no longer be flown out. “For her, the end of this airlift is the moment of greatest concern,” she said. Your acceptance letters remained valid.
The Kabul airport was shaken yesterday by two explosions in the vicinity of the site, killing more than 60 people. The attacks made it clear “that an extension of the operation in Kabul was not possible,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. The security situation and the decision of the Taliban not to tolerate the military evacuations after August 31 would not make this possible.
Maas: Aid operation is entering a new phase
According to Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the federal government is also working to create exit opportunities for remaining local workers and people who are particularly at risk. “The military evacuation has now ended. But our work will continue – until everyone for whom we are responsible in Afghanistan is safe.”
The relief operation is now entering a new phase. You are still in direct contact with the German nationals remaining in Afghanistan. In order to make it possible to leave the country, talks are being held with various partners and also with the Taliban. Among other things, it is about the continued operation of the airport.
Maas made it clear that care would continue to be taken to ensure that Afghans can leave the country. Embassies in neighboring states have been instructed to issue entry papers to all former employees of the armed forces and federal ministries who already have an admission permit. For other particularly endangered Afghans an “exit perspective” will be created.
German airlift ended – all soldiers brought to safety
Georg Schwarte, ARD Berlin, August 26, 2021 7:34 p.m.