The Taliban invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Afghanistan assuring her of a “warm welcome”reported the spokesman for the insurgent group, Zabihullah Mujahid. Mujahid’s statements were known after Merkel would propose on Sunday hold negotiations with the Taliban to continue evacuations in Afghanistan.
“We want an absolutely safe environment here in Afghanistan, one that is accepted by every country in the world and one that heads of state and government believe in. They should visit us, and Angela Merkel will be received in a particularly warm way. We would be very happy to see you“Mujahid said in an interview conducted by the German newspaper image.
The spokesman for the Islamist group stressed that the Taliban have already contacted German authorities and that a German special envoy visited their political office in Doha. “I am sure that they have transmitted our message to Mrs. Merkel,” he remarked. Mujahid, who expressed his desire to develop a good relationship with Germany as they need help in health, education and infrastructure.
Merkel has asserted in recent days that, following the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, Civilian avenues must be opened for the evacuation of both German citizens and Afghan personnel and their families. “We have to talk to the Taliban about how we can get people who have worked for Germany out of the country and put them to safety,” the foreign minister said at a press conference on Sunday.
“Of course we have to talk to them (the Taliban), because they are now the ones to refer to,” Merkel added. In his evacuation operation, the German army managed to remove about 4,600 people from the country, including 3,850 Afghans and about 400 Germans, while the rest correspond to other nationalities.
The German government estimates the number of Afghans waiting to be rescued at around 40,000, among collaborators of NGOs and other organizations, activists or journalists, as well as their families. For the evacuation in military planes an airlift was organized between Kabul and Uzbekistan, after which these people were transported to Germany by Lufthansa airline.
The government of Uzbekistan was willing to maintain collaboration with Berlin, always under the condition that the evacuees do not stay in its territory but are transferred to Germany or other countries.
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