In her first press conference since the Taliban claimed victory in Afghanistan, the German chancellor warned of a pending crisis if those fleeing the country are not supported.
Merkel said there was a need to help Afghanistan's neighbors, where refugees are expected to arriveImage: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images
"This is an extremely bitter development. Bitter, dramatic and terrifying," said the chancellor.
"It is a terrible development for the millions of Afghans who want a more liberal society," she said.
She paid tribute to the 59 German soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan, as well as those who were injured in action.
"I am thinking of the pain of families of soldiers who lost their lives fighting there. Now everything seems so hopeless."
Merkel said the mission had not been as successful as had been hoped.
The chancellor also told reporters that efforts would be made to offer support and refuge, particularly for Afghan support staff who helped the German military. She said the chaotic conditions in Kabul were making the operation "extremely difficult."
Merkel said aid would also be given to neighboring countries such as Pakistan, where it is expected many refugees are likely to arrive.
Scramble to evacuate citizens and staff
Her remarks come as Germany and several other countries scramble to evacuate their diplomatic personnel and local Afghan staff out of the main airport in Kabul.
Earlier, according to participants at a meeting of party members, Merkel said she believed the US decision to press ahead with the withdrawal was taken for "domestic political reasons" were partly to blame.
Since West Germany's accession to NATO, Berlin has supported numerous operations involving the trans-Atlantic alliance. Since 1990, Germany's Bundeswehr has been deployed on "out of area" missions as well.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hanschke
Germany's role in NATO
West Germany officially joined the trans-Atlantic alliance in 1955. However, it wasn't until after reunification in 1990 that the German government considered "out of area" missions led by NATO. From peacekeeping to deterrence, Germany's Bundeswehr has since been deployed in several countries across the globe in defense of its allies.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hanschke
Bosnia: Germany's first NATO mission
In 1995, Germany participated in its first "out of area" NATO mission as part of a UN-mandated peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the deployment, German soldiers joined other NATO member forces to provide security in the wake of the Bosnian War. The peacekeeping mission included more than 60,000 troops from NATO's member states and partners.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/H. Delic
Keeping the peace in Kosovo
Since the beginning of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, some 8,500 German soldiers have been deployed in the young country. In 1999, NATO launched an air assault against Serbian forces accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists and their civilian supporters. Approximately 550 Bundeswehr troops are still stationed in Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V.Xhemaj
Patrolling the Aegean Sea
In 2016, Germany deployed its combat support ship "Bonn" to lead a NATO mission backed by the EU in the Aegean Sea. The mission included conducting "reconnaissance, monitoring and surveillance of illegal crossings" in Greek and Turkish territorial waters at the height of the migration crisis. Germany, Greece and Turkey had requested assistance from the trans-Atlantic alliance.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/M.Schreiber
Nearly two decades in Afghanistan
In 2003, Germany's parliament voted to send Bundeswehr troops to Afghanistan in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Germany became the third-largest contributor of troops and led the Regional Command North. More than 50 German troops were killed during the mission. Germany withdrew the last of its troops in June 2021 as part of the US-led exit from Afghanistan.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Niedringhaus
German tanks in Lithuania
Forming part of NATO's "enhanced forward presence" in the Baltic states, 450 Bundeswehr soldiers have been deployed to Lithuania since 2017. The battalion-size battlegroups there are led by Germany, Canada, the UK and US to reinforce collective defense on the alliance's eastern flank. It forms the "biggest reinforcement of Alliance collective defense in a generation," according to NATO.
