Berlin – Closing roll call, reception in the Bundestag and, in the evening, the big tattoo in front of the Reichstag: on Wednesday, politicians paid tribute to the deployment of the Bundeswehr soldiers in Afghanistan.
A total of 90,000 soldiers were deployed there over the past 20 years, 59 of them perished. “You paid the highest price a soldier can pay on behalf of his country. We are deeply indebted to them, ”said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who, like Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU), spoke to the soldiers and guests, including Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the heads of the other constitutional organs. “I thank you on behalf of our country. Our country is proud of them. “Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said:” Germany’s claim in Afghanistan was greater than what the Bundeswehr could have achieved. “
No other Bundeswehr mission has lasted so long, was so dangerous – and ended in such chaos. There are still thousands of local Afghan forces in the country that was almost instantly taken over by the Taliban after the US withdrew its armed forces. With the USA, the European allies also left the country in the Hindu Kush.
At the reception in the Bundestag, many of the soldiers present expressed their disappointment that the mission ended in failure. “It wasn’t up to you,” assured Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble. The emergency services of all branches of the armed forces would like an extensive processing of the operation. That became clear during the talks. A soldier who has been deployed several times in Afghanistan said the failure of the operation had been looming since 2015. While one was previously in the country, the operation now took place almost exclusively in the camps. Nobody on Wednesday was surprised that the army gave in to the Taliban’s attack so quickly. The local soldiers sometimes received no money for several weeks.
The invited soldiers praised the speech by Federal President Steinmeier. During the appeal, the latter had said that after the militant Islamic Taliban came to power in August, their own decisions would now be critically questioned. “Twenty years after September 11th and two months after the fall of Kabul, many people who have served and suffered in Afghanistan are asking questions. Questions about the meaning of this commitment. They are difficult questions, bitter questions, ”said Steinmeier. “They are aimed at parliament and the governments that sent the Bundeswehr to Afghanistan.” One question is why, despite all the efforts and resources, it was not possible to build a stable, self-supporting political and social order in Afghanistan.
“You should work through the entire twenty years, politically and militarily,” a lieutenant colonel in the air force told the Berliner Zeitung. Lessons should be learned from this – also because of the ongoing Federal Armed Forces deployment in Mail. Around 1700 German soldiers are currently stationed there. The mission is just as dangerous and unpromising as the one in Afghanistan. That is why the call for an end to it had already grown louder in the past few weeks. Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had also asked him a question after it became known that the military junta ruling Mali is apparently seeking cooperation with the Russian mercenary troop Wagner. Her remarks aroused sharp criticism from the opposition because they had not previously informed parliament of their deliberations. The mandate is valid until May 2022. Then the Bundestag, which decides on foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr, has to vote again on the deployment. (with dpa)
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