The Taliban are conquering ever larger parts of Afghanistan. At the weekend they also occupied the city of Kunduz with a population of 370,000, where the Bundeswehr was stationed for years. This is how the press assesses the advance of the Islamists.
Since the withdrawal of international troops began in early May, the Taliban have been on the advance in Afghanistan. First of all, they achieved massive territorial gains, especially in rural areas. The Islamists now control more than half of the approximately 400 districts in the country and also several border crossings.
Most recently, the fighting has increasingly shifted to the capitals of the 34 provinces. On Sunday, the Taliban took control of Kunduz in the north of the country – one of their most important successes in their current offensive. In Germany, the city with 370,000 inhabitants is best known because the Bundeswehr had a large field camp nearby for years. It was not until the end of November that the last 100 German soldiers officially left “Camp Pamir”. The US military mission in Afghanistan ends on August 31. According to American data, the withdrawal is more than 95 percent complete.
The German and international press commented on the advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the end of the international military presence:
“Südwest Presse” (Ulm): “Now the Taliban are destroying everything that was intended to justify military intervention in the past two decades. Not even the threat of terror has been averted. Nobody should hope for the overstretched Afghan armed forces We, too, are finally turning into civil war. Every day the Taliban advance, the defeat of the West grows. “
“Straubinger Tagblatt / Landshuter Zeitung”: “It’s true, the peoples of the participating states were tired of the conflict. But when Afghanistan becomes an Islamist state of God and a terrorist base again, the country will be exactly where it was in 2001. The withdrawal was a mistake that US President Joe Biden has to chalk (…). “
“Stuttgarter Zeitung”: “The only thing that really works in Afghanistan is loyalty to one’s own clan. The Taliban represent the essence and values of many Afghans, whether we like it or not. Most people there only dislike their extreme Sharia interpretation at that point, they will reign again. “
“Sending soldiers again would mean running the same head against the same wall”
“Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” (Halle): “It is an obvious reading when German foreign politicians warn that what Western aid workers and soldiers have built up over the decades is going to be lost. And that it is up to the West, out of concern for their own security and out of responsibility for the population, the Taliban again Unfortunately, this is the approach that has always prolonged the war, but never ended it. To send soldiers again would be to run the same head against the same wall. It is more realistic to admit that the chapter on NATO intervention has been completed and that the majority of the population rejects the Taliban – but has never really supported the Western interventions either.
“Nordwest-Zeitung” (Oldenburg): “The Taliban have no reason to seriously negotiate. It is naive to hope for their political change. They remain representatives of a merciless and bloodthirsty reading of Islam. It should be considered whether the West will reverse the hasty withdrawal. Only obvious are foreign troops are able to at least secure the fragile status quo in the country and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a breeding ground for international terror again. However, the prerequisite for success is that the West decides to start the war with all its consistency But that is precisely what is not to be expected. Europe and the USA, in any case, are currently reaping the fruits of their military and political inconsistency. “
“Dithmarscher Landeszeitung” (Heide): “The US intends to withdraw its last troops from Afghanistan at the end of this month. The Taliban can easily wait while the situation becomes unbearable for many civilians. The fall of Kunduz should rouse the international community to seek a political solution for this important Central Asian state again immediately The stronger the Taliban become, the less willing they will be to negotiate. And their advance will increase the flow of refugees to Europe. We cannot be indifferent to the fate of Afghanistan. “
“Badish newspaper”: “Nothing is getting better in Afghanistan, on the contrary. The capture of Kunduz by the Taliban may show the Germans in a particularly symbolic way how little international efforts to stabilize the country have paid off over the past two decades. (…) Some reminders of the triumphant advance of the Islamic State terrorist militia in northern Iraq in 2013/2014 after the withdrawal of the Americans. In Iraq, the United States once again intervened militarily with an international alliance, the tide turned. The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen is now calling for a similar move for Afghanistan. And then “Should Western troops remain in the Hindu Kush for another two decades? The West’s dilemma, of course, is nothing against the situation of the Afghans. The number of civilian casualties is rising, many fear a new reign of terror by the Taliban, tens of thousands are already on the run.”
“Europe must prepare for a mass exodus from Afghanistan”
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “Even if the German soldiers have withdrawn from Kunduz, the failure in Afghanistan will continue to preoccupy us. First, there is the question of how Germany deals with its responsibility for the Afghans and their families, who were ostracized by the Taliban because they were responsible for them Second, the debate about deporting Afghans does not ignore the realization that there are basically no more safe regions in Afghanistan, because the country is sinking into civil war Prepare Afghanistan. Tens of thousands are already marching on foot through Iran towards the border with Turkey. Germany, along with all of NATO, had assumed responsibility for Afghanistan. Now we are leaving the country in the lurch. “
“Allgemeine Zeitung” (Mainz): “For Germany, however, the withdrawal does not end the issue. Because it still bears responsibility. For example, for those Afghans and their families who helped Germany and its partners. And who are now the target of the Taliban. In addition Europe and thus Germany expect the Taliban to take the Afghan capital Kabul, a stream of refugees that could reach the proportions of the wave of refugees from Syria of 2015. The year in which Angela Merkel said for the first time: “We can do it.” And last but not least does the turning point in Afghanistan also affect the question of deportation. We cannot simply send those seeking help back to a country in which there is a civil war and there are no longer any safe regions. “
“Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” (Heidelberg): “With ‘full solidarity’ (Chancellor Schröder) Germany followed the USA in the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Although 15 of the 19 attackers on September 11 came from Saudi Arabia, it was the Taliban’s terror regime that was supposed to bleed – because bin Laden, who was also a Saudi mastermind, was allegedly hiding there. The justification of this war was wrong from day one. That of the Iraq war was even more wrong – but both wars together unleashed the Islamist terror. (…) When Bishop Käsmann realized in frustration in 2010 that nothing was good in Afghanistan, the outcry in Germany was great. It should be a lot bigger now. Because now not only is nothing good, but everything is worse for the people in Afghanistan. “
International press reviews:
“The Times” (Großbritannien): “The international community will inevitably feel the consequences. So far, there is little evidence that the chaos has provided a safe haven for terrorists who want to harm the US and its allies. Western intelligence services believe that the Taliban continues to have ties with al-Qaeda, contrary to the terms of the agreement on which the US withdrawal was based. In truth, one can hardly imagine a more hospitable environment for terrorists than a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Reaching Europe’s borders is also likely. Afghanistan’s best hope is that the international community will come together and use whatever means at their disposal – development aid, trade, sanctions or other forms of influence – to make concessions on the Taliban wrestle the way wi e they have control of the land and with whom they share their power. “
“The Time” (Belgium): “A Taliban victory would be bad for the western world. It would inevitably result in an exodus. Many Afghans are likely to seek their fortune elsewhere – as the Syrians did when the civil war broke out. The migration movement has already started, but that The advance of the Taliban is likely to drive even more people to flight, inevitably towards Europe. At the same time, the assumption that Turkey will once again play the role of a buffer zone in front of Europe is an illusion. Afghanistan is not even a neighbor of Turkey. And the longer the Syrians are accepted, the greater the resistance there. Ultimately, Afghanistan can become a breeding ground for international terrorism again. Al-Qaeda found a safe haven there 20 years ago. A similar scenario may arise again Afghanistan is facing a highly explosive phase, and it seems that all possibilities of control have been lost nong. “
“De Telegraaf” (Netherlands): “The advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan is worrying. The capture of Kunduz, where the Netherlands was also active with a training mission, is seen as a great victory for the Muslim extremists. Of course, the Western troops could not stay in Afghanistan forever. But it did not close “The Afghan army is not yet able to cope on its own and is not up to the Taliban. It seems only a matter of time before Afghanistan becomes a safe haven for global terrorists again.”
“Wall Street Journal” (USA): “The Biden government continues to insist that diplomacy is the only solution in Afghanistan. The Taliban have different ideas, while their military advance is spreading over ever larger territory in Afghanistan (…). End with the end of American air support August, more cities will fall and the bloodbath will escalate. The Allied presence in Afghanistan failed to end the Taliban uprising. However, continuing air support and retaining several thousand soldiers and contractors would be a strategic and humanitarian nightmare which is happening now and is likely to have repercussions well beyond Afghanistan. Extremists don’t wage wars because they want a diplomatic solution. They fight because they want to win and impose their terms on the loser. That is what the Taliban are doing now after President Biden ignores military advice and sic h withdrew so recklessly and with no plan to prevent disaster. “
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