Developments after the Taliban came to power in stern-Ticker on the situation in Afghanistan.
The news about the situation in Afghanistan:
10:39 am: Ischinger blames Trump for the “fall of man” in Afghanistan
According to the head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, the former US President Donald Trump is largely responsible for the situation in Afghanistan. “The fall of man happened long before (US President) Joe Biden took office,” said the former ambassador on Deutschlandfunk. “The fall of man was the agreement that was signed with the Taliban under Donald Trump.” The militant Islamists would then only have to wait for the US troops to leave. Negotiating with the Taliban from such a position of weakness would not even be desirable for one’s enemy. “There was nothing left to save.”
Ischinger emphasized that the blame for the current situation was not to be found solely with the Afghan army, whose armed forces quickly surrendered. Rather, a reduced military presence of NATO, even with a few thousand soldiers, might have prevented this “bad debacle”.
10.18 a.m.: According to the media report, the Bundeswehr is moving two helicopters to Kabul
The Bundeswehr apparently wants to move two helicopters to the capital Kabul for the evacuation of Germans and local personnel from Afghanistan. The helicopters of the Special Forces Command (KSK) should be used to rescue those seeking protection from the air, reports the “Spiegel”. The helicopters are actually aimed at freeing hostages, are very agile and can land even in densely built-up cities. In the next few days, KSK soldiers could use helicopters to bring small groups from Kabul or other Taliban-controlled zones to the difficult-to-access airport, writes the magazine, citing Bundeswehr circles. So far, the Bundeswehr has only been deployed within Kabul Airport, which is secured by US troops.
Other countries such as the USA and France are already using helicopters in Kabul to bring people in need of protection to the airport. The situation around the airport in the north of the city has been characterized by great chaos for days. Thousands are desperately trying to get onto the grounds and then to the planes – most to no avail.
9:01 a.m.: The Bundeswehr is bringing 184 people from Afghanistan to Germany for the first time
During its evacuation mission, the Bundeswehr flew out “protection personnel” from Afghanistan to Germany for the first time. According to information from the German Press Agency, 185 passengers are on board an Airbus A310-MRTT. The plane, which took off from the Uzbek capital Tashkent, is scheduled to land in Hanover at noon. So far there have only been shuttle flights by the Bundeswehr between the Afghan capital Kabul and Tashkent. From there it went on to Germany with passenger planes.
The Afghanistan mission is considered the Bundeswehr’s largest evacuation mission to date. So far, over 1,640 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in eleven flights, tweeted the Bundeswehr.
8.15 a.m.: Facebook wants to protect Afghan users from the Taliban
Facebook wants to protect Afghan users online with new security measures after the Taliban came to power. “We are working closely with our partners in industry, civil society and the government to provide all possible support to protect people,” wrote Nathaniel Gleicher, who is responsible for the security strategy on Twitter. Users of the Facebook service Instagram in Afghanistan should also receive information on how to protect their accounts. It is temporarily no longer possible in Afghanistan to search the friend lists of other users. The company wants to prevent the Taliban from targeting people through the online network. Users could also limit the visibility of posts to people they know.
Taliban accounts with the Whatsapp online service have also apparently been blocked. The Islamist spokesman, Sabihullah Mujahid, could no longer be reached there. The Financial Times also reported that a Taliban account used by Afghans to report looting was blocked.
7.41 a.m.: Maas criticizes BND assessments of Afghanistan
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has criticized the work of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) on Afghanistan. “The BND has obviously made a wrong assessment of the situation, just like other services,” the minister told Spiegel in an interview published on Friday. This means that the secret service bears considerable responsibility for the foreign policy debacle surrounding the Afghanistan mission. “The decisions that were made on the basis of these erroneous reports were made to the best of our knowledge and belief,” said Maas. But they were “wrong in the result”, with catastrophic consequences. This cannot remain without consequences for the way the German intelligence services work, says the SPD politician. In addition, findings from other services should be checked intensively in the future before they are taken over.
There needs to be a debate about the meaning of Bundeswehr missions. “The failure in Afghanistan must not lead to us completely denying ourselves responsibility in the world in terms of foreign and security policy,” said the minister. “But Afghanistan must not repeat itself again,” said Maas.
7.03 a.m.: So far, more than 9,000 people have flown out of Kabul in a rescue operation – according to NATO even 18,000
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, western countries have flown well over 9,000 people from Kabul. The Bundeswehr flew German citizens and Afghan local staff from Kabul until late at night. Most recently, a Bundeswehr transport plane of the type A400M with 181 people on board landed in the Uzbek capital Tashkent during the night. An A400M had previously arrived from the Afghan capital with 184 people on board. “So far, more than 1,640 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in eleven rounds,” the Bundeswehr announced on Twitter. The US reported Thursday that it had flown around 7,000 people from Kabul in the past five days. Hundreds of compatriots have already flown out of other western countries, including France, Turkey and Great Britain.
Compared to the Reuters news agency, a NATO employee even spoke of 18,000 people who have so far been flown out.
Thousands of Afghans are still waiting at the city’s airport to get a seat on a rescue plane. According to unconfirmed reports, there were several dead at the airport, where people huddled in a strip between US soldiers and the Taliban.
6.42 a.m.: Berlin gives 100 million emergency aid for Afghan refugees
The federal government is providing 100 million euros in emergency aid for refugees from Afghanistan. The Federal Foreign Office announced this on Twitter. The money is to be used to support international aid organizations that are looking after Afghans who have fled to neighboring countries. Further help is to follow. Since the militant Islamic Taliban seized power in mid-August, many people have been desperately trying to get out of the country. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz announced the aid yesterday. The SPD candidate for Chancellor told the German Press Agency: “This is a first step that shows that we feel responsible and care.”
5.07 a.m.: Afghan local staff arrived in Brandenburg
Around 60 local Afghan workers and their relatives have arrived in Brandenburg. Two buses from Frankfurt / Main arrived at the initial reception in Doberlug-Kirchhain (Elbe-Elster) in the morning. The arrival originally planned for Thursday evening had been delayed significantly due to the registration of people. The Afghans, including several children, were initially given food and drink as well as medical care. You have to be in quarantine for three days and are expected to stay in Doberlug-Kirchhain until Tuesday. Then they could also be distributed to other federal states.
2.57 a.m.: Laschet pleads for diplomatic contacts with the Taliban
The Union’s candidate for chancellor, Armin Laschet, advocates direct diplomatic contacts with the Taliban. “The art of good foreign policy consists precisely in finding solutions with those states whose goals and human image our society rightly rejects,” said Laschet of the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. Refusing to enter into dialogue with the Taliban does not help the people who want to get out of Afghanistan, he added. The strict Islamic legal system of Sharia, which is now in force there again, is not an obstacle to talks, Laschet emphasized. “The Sharia is cruel – and I reject it from the bottom of my heart,” said the CDU chairman. “But it helps people to put pressure on the Taliban. That also means talking to one another.”
Laschet affirmed that a new, unregulated influx of refugees to Germany should be prevented. “There is certainly a great willingness to take in the people who helped us in Afghanistan, and also people who are particularly threatened,” said the Union’s top candidate. Everyone can understand the fear of the Taliban. “At the same time, there is also a desire for orderly migration,” said Laschet. For this it is important to support international organizations such as the UNHCR or Unicef as well as the neighboring countries of Afghanistan. It is “the priority to provide aid in the region”.
Read the news on the situation in Afghanistan from Monday, August 16 to Thursday, August 19 here.
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