End Of An Era: Germany’s Out Of Afghanistan

Germany has finished withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, in an operation that begun in May, according to the German Defense Ministry, while the US military withdrawal from the country is expected to be completed by September 11.

“After nearly 20 years of deployment, the last soldiers of our Bundeswehr have left Afghanistan this evening,” German Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer said, viewing it as the end of a “historic chapter.”

FILE PHOTO: German Bundeswehr soldiers are seen at a camp in Afghanistan, March 25, 2018. © Michael Kappeler/Pool via Reuters

Last February, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that his country intends to extend its military mission in Afghanistan, where its forces constitute the second largest force after the United States.

In April, US President Joe Biden thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her country’s contributions to “NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan,” and the two agreed to “continue supporting efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.”

It is noteworthy that German parliamentary blocs (liberal and extreme left), demanded the government to implement a new withdrawal strategy from Afghanistan, after 20 years of military presence in the country.

On the other hand, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced, a few days ago, the identification of a group of Afghan personnel who worked with the United States, who will be transferred to a location outside Afghanistan, before the end of the withdrawal of her country’s forces next September.

Source – https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/1491485/end-of-an-era:-germanys-out-of-afghanistan