The sudden transfer of power to the Taliban in Afghanistan and the hasty withdrawal of foreign forces left thousands of their local counterparts unemployed and unsupported in Afghanistan, living in constant fear.
The German government announced a few days ago that it had issued entry permits to 20,400 former German military personnel in Afghanistan by mid-January. In addition, about 8,000 people who are at risk for their jobs or social activities, including women’s rights defenders, have been granted entry into Germany.
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On Tuesday, February 8, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced that about 1,190 local German military personnel had arrived in the country and that the rest were waiting. Some of them live in Pakistan.
In an interview with Funke Media Group, Ms. Lambrecht announced that about 610 of them would soon be coming to Germany with their families.
According to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from May 2021 to the end of January, a total of about 9,300 Afghan citizens entered Germany.
The Taliban have killed more than 100 former government officials and local members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) since taking power, according to the latest UN report.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report that despite the Taliban announcing a general amnesty for former government and armed forces personnel, it had received credible reports of killings or the “forced disappearance” of the group.
