640 to seven: While the US Air Force evacuated 640 Afghans with one machine, the German Bundeswehr only brought seven people out of the country on Monday evening. Why were there so few?
The rescue operations are in full swing, but they are slow. In the night from Monday to Tuesday, the Bundeswehr brought seven people from Kabul to safety, as confirmed by the Federal Foreign Office. According to information from the German press agency and the “Bild” newspaper, five German citizens, one Dutch citizen and one local employee who was or is working for the Bundeswehr or a federal ministry were evacuated. The Airbus A400M can officially transport 114 people. However, it is said that there will be space for up to 150 people during the evacuation operation. Due to the dangerous situation at the airport in Kabul, however, only seven people could be flown out, said the Foreign Office.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) said on Tuesday morning on ARD that the flight had taken place under extremely difficult conditions. “We have a very confusing, dangerous, complex situation at the airport, especially because of the crowds,” said the CDU politician. The main aim was to bring soldiers to Kabul to secure the evacuation flights. By Monday afternoon, four Luftwaffe planes had made their way to Kabul. Because of the chaotic situation at the airport, landing was impossible for hours. According to the “picture” information, a transport plane had to turn off again. A plane landed shortly after 10 p.m. and evacuated seven people.
“An Unacceptable Risk”
“Due to the chaotic circumstances at the airport and regular exchanges of fire at the access point, there was no guarantee last night that other German citizens and other people to be evacuated would even get access to the airport without the protection of the Bundeswehr,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office. More people could not reach the machine on the runway.
The plane also had to leave the airport after a short time. “Due to the extremely dangerous situation on the access routes to the airport, especially in the evenings and at night, it would have been an intolerable risk to the life and limb of the local people to call on those to be evacuated to come to the airport before they were granted landing permits and before access was secured by the armed forces go. ” “We take everything with us that fits into our aircraft,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. This affects German citizens, vulnerable Afghans and citizens of allied nations.
It was only with this machine that the Bundeswehr was able to bring the paratroopers from the Rapid Forces Division, which was specially trained for evacuation operations, to Kabul. “With the support of the Bundeswehr forces that have now arrived in Kabul, we are working flat out to make this possible for the first evacuation groups over the next few hours,” said the spokesman.
Sources:,, “”, DPA
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
