Evacuation from Kabul: Afghanistan: Scholz praises Maas for offering to resign

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) defended former Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) as a witness in the Bundestag’s Afghanistan investigation committee. In response to a question from committee chairman Ralf Stegner (SPD), Scholz replied that during the discussions about accepting Afghan local staff in Germany, he had the impression that Seehofer’s insistence on a regulated procedure was motivated by security policy and not domestic policy. It was about “how can we avoid the wrong people coming to Germany”.

Deployment in Afghanistan was justified

The committee is supposed to examine the circumstances of the hectic German evacuation from Kabul in August 2021 and the decision-making processes with a view to accepting Afghan local staff. At the time, Scholz was Federal Finance Minister in the cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). The Ministry of Finance was “not a central actor” when considering Germany’s Afghanistan policy, says Scholz.

In his view, the military operation after the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001 was “very justified”. It was also right to support the USA in this. In retrospect, however, one has to ask oneself whether it would have been better to discuss ending this mission in Afghanistan earlier. With a view to the Islamist Taliban coming to power in 2021, Scholz says that democratization processes must also be “taken out of the country”.

AKK found the recruitment of local staff too complex and too slow

Before him, the committee heard former Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU). She expressed her regret about delays in accepting former local Bundeswehr staff. In April 2021, it became clear that, given the deterioration in the security situation and the latent threat to the local staff, “the process we had been practicing was simply too complex and too slow.”

You yourself, Seehofer, the then Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) and former Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) had different opinions on this. Kramp-Karrenbauer believes that the fact that 2021 was an election year with a public debate about migration and refugee policy also played a role. It was obvious that there was a disagreement between Kramp-Karrenbauer and Seehofer, reports Scholz in the committee.

Maas proposed resignation as foreign minister

After the evacuation, Maas offered him his resignation as Foreign Minister, Scholz confirms. But he advised Maas against it “because I thought he was an honorable man.” Maas tried to do his job well and is not to blame for the misjudgment of many intelligence services around the world with regard to developments in Kabul. Maas’ offer of resignation was “very decent” and very impressive.