After almost 20 years, what is arguably the most dangerous foreign deployment of the German Armed Forces ends in Afghanistan. Was the military engagement worth it? A chronicle.
It is a historic moment: with the withdrawal of the last German soldiers from Afghanistan, the Bundeswehr mission in the Hindu Kush ended after almost 20 years. The Federal Ministry of Defense announced that the last Bundeswehr soldiers have left the country. The soldiers were flown out of the field camp in Mazar-i-Sharif in the north of the country on four military machines. The last machine, an Air Force A400M, left Afghan airspace at 9.24 p.m. The German commander Ansgar Meyer was on board. The soldiers were expected at Wunstorf Air Base after a flight over Georgia on Wednesday afternoon.
“A historical chapter is coming to an end, an intensive mission that challenged and shaped the Bundeswehr, in which the Bundeswehr has proven itself in combat. A mission in which members of our armed forces were injured in body and soul, in which people lost their lives we lost, “said Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. A look back at the most important stations of the almost 20 years of service.
- 2001: In December, the Bundestag passed the first mandate for German participation in the International Protection Force for Afghanistan (ISAF) with a large majority.
- 2003: The UN Security Council resolves to expand the ISAF mandate beyond Kabul. The Bundestag decides to deploy Bundeswehr soldiers in the northern Kunduz region. In 2006, Germany took over command of the ISAF troops in the nine provinces in the north of the country.
- 2009: On the orders of German Colonel Georg Klein, US warplanes bomb two tank trucks hijacked by the Taliban in September. More than a hundred people are killed, including many civilians.
- 2011: The Afghan security forces assume security responsibility for the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, in which the largest military camp is located.
- 2013: In October, the Bundeswehr hands over its camp in Kunduz to the Afghan security forces.
Turning point 2014: combat mission ends
- 2014: After 13 years, the international combat mission in Afghanistan ends in December. Thousands of foreign soldiers remain in the country as part of the “Resolute Support” mission to advise and train the local armed forces. The Bundestag resolves the mandate for participation in the follow-up mission with initially up to 850 Bundeswehr soldiers.
- 2018: NATO and its partner states in Afghanistan undertake to continue the “Resolute Support” mission until the situation in the crisis state improves.
- February 2020: After negotiations with the radical Islamic Taliban, the US has promised a full withdrawal of its troops by May 2021. In return, the Taliban give security guarantees.
- November 2020: The US administration of President Donald Trump has announced that it will withdraw 2,500 of the roughly 4,500 soldiers in Afghanistan. The announcement will be implemented by January.
- February 18, 2021: The NATO defense ministers are discussing how to proceed, but will not make a decision. First, the administration of the new US President Joe Biden should have the opportunity to review the agreements made by Trump and to develop its own position.
- February 24, 2021: The Federal Cabinet decides to extend the Bundeswehr mandate, which runs until March 31, 2021, to the end of January 2022. The Bundestag approves the extension.
- March 17, 2021: In an interview, Biden said that a complete withdrawal of US soldiers from Afghanistan by May 1 would be “difficult”.
- March 18, 2021: An international Afghanistan conference is taking place in Moscow with the participation of the Afghan government and the Taliban. The USA, China and Pakistan are also there.
Biden announces September 11, 2021 as the end of the troop withdrawal
- 14. April 2021: US President Biden officially proclaims September 11th – the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks – as the end of the US troop withdrawal. The US mission in Afghanistan had “achieved” its original goal of combating terrorism. The foreign and defense ministers of the 30 NATO countries decide for their part to begin the withdrawal of their soldiers on May 1 “in an orderly, coordinated and deliberate manner”. All NATO troops should leave Afghanistan “within a few months”.
- 29. April 2021: A NATO representative announced that the withdrawal of troops had begun. In the meantime, July 4th – the national holiday of the USA – is also being discussed as a complete withdrawal date.
- 29. June 2021: Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) announces the withdrawal of the last Bundeswehr soldiers from Afghanistan.
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