Developments after the Taliban came to power in stern-Ticker on the situation in Afghanistan.
The news about the situation in Afghanistan:
7:29 p.m.: Merkel: “Very bitter development” – make goals smaller in the future
In her statement, the Chancellor rated the international mission in Afghanistan as a disappointment. Beyond the fight against terrorism, everything was “not as successful and not as achieved as we set out to do,” said the CDU politicians in Berlin. “That is a realization that is bitter.” It was “not a successful effort”. Lessons have to be learned from this, “and your goals must also be reduced” in such operations. The Taliban had brought the whole country back under their control. “This is an extremely bitter development,” said Merkel.
7:12 p.m.: Merkel promises to rescue as many local workers and helpers as possible
Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced the rescue of as many local armed forces as possible and employees of development aid and NGOs. 1900 out of 2500 local staff have already been flown out. The Chancellor, however, dampened hopes of acceptance in Germany. Rather, Afghanistan’s neighboring states are to be supported in accepting refugees. Around 1,500 helpers were deployed for other organizations in Afghanistan, and these should also be flown out if possible. Just like women’s rights activists and journalists. The Chancellor called the conditions at the airport in Kabul “extremely difficult”. Whether or not the evacuations can succeed is “unfortunately no longer in our control”. The development in Afghanistan is “dramatic and terrible”.
6:59 p.m.: Over 300 Turkish citizens flown out of Kabul
Despite the chaos at Kabul airport, Turkey has flown more than 300 nationals from Afghanistan. The Turkish Airlines plane, chartered by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, landed in Istanbul in the afternoon with 324 passengers on board, according to the state news agency Anadolu. It had taken off in Kabul while thousands of Afghans were desperately trying to get a place for an evacuation flight. The ministry had already sent the Boeing 777 to Kabul over the weekend to bring back Turkish nationals who had applied for it.
6.41 p.m.: Laschet against a blanket commitment to accept Afghan refugees
CDU / CSU Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet has spoken out in favor of accepting certain endangered groups from Afghanistan in Germany, but has refused a general opening for refugees after the Taliban came to power. As an example, he cited “women who were particularly involved in this Afghanistan that was hoping for freedom”. That was something like a contingent, said the CDU chairman in Berlin after consultations with the presidium and federal executive committee of his party. “But I believe that we shouldn’t send out the signal now that Germany can basically take in everyone who is now in need. The focus must be on providing humanitarian aid on site, now this time in good time – and unlike in 2015 afford, “said Laschet. With a view to the flow of refugees to Germany at the time, he emphasized: “We must not repeat the mistakes of 2015.”
6:38 p.m.: Maas defends the time of the rescue operation
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has defended against criticism the decision not to have withdrawn the embassy staff from Kabul earlier. This was done in coordination with other countries, “which proceeded in the same way,” he said on Monday in Berlin. In addition, under other circumstances it would have been “impossible to bring the 1900 local staff who are already in Germany to Germany. That was the job of the embassy staff.” According to Maas, only the core team of the embassy is now in Kabul, which is now organizing the evacuation of the local staff and remaining German citizens.
6:22 p.m .: Maas: “Save as many people as possible from the situation”
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the current images, especially of the desperate people at Kabul airport, as “extremely painful”. It is now important for the federal government to “save as many people as possible from this situation”.
The foreign minister said that the circle of those who were accepted in Germany should be expanded again. In addition to the local forces of the Bundeswehr and the federal government, it should now also include employees of non-governmental organizations, development aid and human rights activists. “This number will have to be multiplied by the family members,” Maas continued. The majority of those affected are already in Kabul. Maas admitted, however, that it was still unclear how these people could get to the airport under the current circumstances. As far as they succeed, they should be flown out with both German and US planes, said the minister. Currently there are already 1900 local Afghan workers in Germany. Most of the German embassy staff was also flown out of Kabul on Sunday.
6.13 p.m.: Bundeswehr machine on hold over Kabul
The evacuation operation of the German armed forces in the Afghan capital Kabul has stalled. According to information from the German Press Agency, two military transporters of the A400M type were stopped on Monday because they are currently unable to land there due to the chaos at Kabul Airport. As a result, they were initially stuck in Baku, Azerbaijan, after a refueling stop. One of the machines then took off from there to Kabul in the afternoon, but initially remained in a waiting loop in the air. Civilians on the airfield continued to prevent the plane from landing, military sources said.
5:57 p.m.: Russian Foreign Ministry sees the situation stabilized by the Taliban
After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the situation in the capital Kabul and the country “stabilized”, according to Russian sources. The radical Islamic fighters had started to “restore public order,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday. They also guaranteed the safety of the local civilian population and the diplomatic missions. In contrast to the western states, Russia wants to keep its embassy open. According to its foreign ministry, Russia is already in direct contact with “representatives of the new authorities” in Kabul.
5.38 p.m.: NATO crisis meeting on Afghanistan on Tuesday
The ambassadors of the NATO member states will hold a crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. A representative of the alliance said that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will give a press conference at 3 p.m. (CEST). It is Stoltenberg’s first appearance in front of the media since June.
5:35 p.m.: Amnesty calls for more extensive evacuations
The human rights organization Amnesty International has called on the German government to undertake a more extensive evacuation mission in Afghanistan. “The federal government remains challenged beyond what has been promised so far,” said Markus Beeko, Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany, on Monday. In addition to local staff, journalists, women’s rights activists and human rights defenders “who are acutely exposed to particular danger must be protected and evacuated as unbureaucratically as possible”. There is also a need for short-term, broader admission programs. “It is a race against time that is costing lives every minute.” The federal government should not limit itself in its aid here, “but should be an active part of an international emergency initiative”.
5.26 p.m.: Maas admits misjudgment
After the fact that the militant Islamist Taliban took over power in Afghanistan, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas admitted mistakes. “There is also nothing to gloss over: All of us – the federal government, the intelligence services, the international community – we have misjudged the situation,” he admitted on Monday. It was not foreseen that the Afghan armed forces would not be ready to oppose the Taliban. “That was a misjudgment by all of us. We will certainly have to talk about that too,” said Maas.
See the video for Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock, who criticizes the federal government:
5:09 p.m.: US soldiers kill two armed men at Kabul airport
US soldiers killed two armed men at Kabul airport on Monday. In the midst of thousands of people who were there peacefully, two men waved their weapons “in a threatening manner,” said a representative of the Pentagon. After the Taliban came to power, thousands of people tried to leave the country.
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