Following the Taliban's recapture of Afghanistan, NATO and the EU have largely remained silent. The national governments are the ones reacting.
Advertisement
Nato headquarters in Brussels Image: Zhang Cheng/Xinhua/picture alliance
EU diplomats appear to have been caught unaware by the Taliban's advance and the rapid collapse of the Afghan government. On Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged the Taliban to "immediately resume substantive, regular and structured talks," and agree to a cease-fire. He said the EU encourages "the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to settle political differences, increase representation of all stakeholders and engage with the Taliban from a united perspective."
Two days before the fall of Kabul, that seems a bit clueless.
A request to guarantee the safe and orderly withdrawal of all foreigners and Afghans wishing to leave the country followed on Monday morning. It was signed by representatives from the EU and from parts of the international community. Chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, however, show that only military evacuation is still an option; civilian air traffic has been halted. A special EU foreign ministers' meeting was called for Tuesday afternoon.
Complaints, warnings from the European Parliament
The president of the European Parliament is urging a united EU response. "The country needs a lasting and inclusive political solution that protects the rights of women and allows Afghans to live in safety and with dignity. Asylum must be granted to those in danger of persecution," David Sassoli wrote on Twitter — a statement that also seems strangely belated.
Urging a united EU response: David Sassoli Image: Yves Herman/AFP/Getty Images
Advertisement
The foreign policy spokespersons of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament have urged that more people be brought to safety quickly. "In addition to the Afghan local forces of the German armed forces, for example, teachers, doctors, mayors and women's rights activists have also held the torch of peace, freedom, democracy and human rights high in Afghanistan," Daniel Caspary and David McAllister wrote in a statement, adding that the EU must step up humanitarian aid in the region to avoid a surge of refugees to Europe: "We must now do everything we can to ensure that those fleeing get protection close to home."
The Greens are demanding that, at the least, the EU must now rescue the approximately 600 local personnel who worked in the EUPOL police mission, for the EU delegation in Kabul and the ECHO humanitarian aid mission — including their families. "Europe must live up to its responsibility for the local staff of the EU missions. Instead of acting quickly, the EU Commission and national governments are arguing about responsibilities," said Sven Giegold, a Green Party spokesman and lawmaker. He urged setting up an airlift for EU personnel.
Dacian Ciolos, spokesman for the Liberals in the European Parliament, called for a special summit of EU governments and a meeting of the EU Parliament. Afghanistan's "descent into darkness" must be urgently discussed, he said, in order to find a unified humanitarian and diplomatic response. "The international community must come together to protect those fleeing persecution," he wrote on Twitter.
'Some people won't get back'
Security committee meetings were called in several European NATO countries on Monday, including the UK, Belgium and France. The military alliance's headquarters in Brussels, however, is silent.
On Monday, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced a speeding up of procedures for civilian workers, saying, "Where the rules need to be changed, they will be changed." The plan, he said, is to evacuate 1,200 to 1,500 people per day until August 31 while Kabul airport is still under Western control.
“Some people won't get back," he said. "It's sad, the West has done what it's done, and we have to do our very best to get people out and stand by our obligations." He added that only Afghans who make it to Kabul have a chance to be flown out.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was unclear how long the evacuation of Kabul will be able to continue. In a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party presidium meeting on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly spoke of "bitter hours," saying the government identified some 2,500 local forces in Afghanistan, in addition to about 2,000 human rights activists and lawyers plus their families — a total of about 10,000 Afghans — who needed to be flown out, months ago.
Germany's NATO missions
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.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Kul
6 images1 | 6
In cooperation with the United States, Germany is now evacuating people. "We could not perform such a mission without the help of the US," Merkel said. For women and the many Afghans "who chose progress and freedom," she said, what is happening now are "bitter events." The chancellor made it clear the German armed forces were dependent on the US concerning the rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The plan is to continue evacuations for as long as possible, with special forces and paratroopers doing a dangerous job in Kabul, according to Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. Soldiers from previous Afghanistan missions were "shocked at what is happening," she said.
Speaking of the West's decades-long mission in Afghanistan, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert echoed Merkel's words Monday, calling recent developments "bitter." According to media reports, the Foreign Ministry paid no attention to situation reports from the embassy in Kabul urging speedy departures. CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet labeled developments in Afghanistan, "the biggest fiasco since the founding of NATO."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of "bitter hours"Image: Christian Mang/Pool via AP/picture alliance
Emergency meeting in Paris
Many European countries, including Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Italy, have flown out their diplomatic staff and some relief workers. The French National Defense Council held an emergency meeting earlier Monday; President Emmanuel Macron plans to deliver a televised address in the evening. Human rights activists, journalists and artists with ties to France are to be flown out, along with embassy staff and Afghan personnel, in an airlift to Abu Dhabi.
The French government is not alone in fearing a new refugee crisis if millions of Afghans were to make their way to Europe. Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi has already declared that his country will not be a "gateway for a new refugee wave."
Afghans try to flee as Taliban topples government
Hundreds are trying to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban swept into the capital. Western powers airlifted civilians out of Kabul airport as commercial flights were halted.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Desperate Afghans try to enter Kabul airport
Afghan families have been making increasingly desperate attempts to get into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Many children are among the crowds trying to make a last ditch attempt to escape the Taliban who stormed the capital city.
Image: REUTERS
Afghans face an uncertain future
Since the withdrawal of US and NATO troops, Afghans have faced a difficult decision: stay and hope government forces contain the Taliban insurgency or flee to neighboring countries. Now that the Taliban has seized Kabul, many now appear to be caught in limbo, with no clear indication as to what will happen next.
Image: REUTERS
Crowds gather at Kabul airport
Kabul's main airport, named after Hamid Karzai, the first president installed after the Taliban were toppled, was the scene of desperate crowds on Monday. Hundreds were hoping to board planes and flee Taliban rule. While Western powers rushed to evacuate small groups of people, mostly their own citizens but also some local employees, commercial flights in and out of the country were halted.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Taliban take presidential palace
After the fall of the capital city, Kabul, Taliban fighters took control of the Afghan presidential palace on Sunday. Live footage showed Taliban commanders and fighters sitting inside the palace, declaring victory in their campaign against Afghan forces.
Image: Zabi Karim/AP/picture alliance
Fear of Islamist rule
Many fear the hard-line Islamist rule of the Taliban, who claimed in a statement that they would not take revenge against those who supported the US-backed alliance. Women and girls were mostly prohibited from education during the Taliban's previous rule in Afghanistan. People in Kabul hurriedly took their own steps to try to hide images the fundamentalists might dislike.
Image: Kyodo/picture alliance
Crossing the border to Pakistan
While the Hamid Karzai airport saw an exodus of people trying to leave, some Afghans crossed over the border to Pakistan. Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told DW that the government has closed the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan.
Image: Jafar Khan/AP/picture alliance
Taliban return weeks after US withdrawal
The US and its allies entered Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and toppled the Taliban. As the 20-year conflict came to an abrupt end with the pullout of US and NATO troops, Afghan government forces quickly collapsed without support.
Image: Hoshang Hashimi/AP Photo/picture alliance
Taliban leadership
The Taliban governed the country from 1996 to 2001 and imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic Shariah law. It was founded under the leadership of Mullah Omar. Haibatullah Akhundzada is now the top leader, while co-founder Mullah Baradar, seen in this image, heads the political wing.
Image: Social Media/REUTERS
Taliban fighters raise their flag
The Taliban claims it is ready to control the country and on Monday said it would not harm civilians who had cooperated with Western forces. "We are ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection," Taliban political office spokesman Mohammad Naeem told broadcaster Al Jazeera. The claim might not be easy for all to believe.
Image: Gulabuddin Amiri/AP/picture alliance
Women and children at risk
Women, children and other minorities are likely to suffer badly under the Taliban regime. Women and girls were barred from education during the Taliban's previous rule in Afghanistan, which was overturned after the US-led invasion in 2001.
Image: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
President Ghani flees
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15. "In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out," he said, but stressed that he would continue to fight for the country.
Image: Rahmat Gul/AP Photo/picture alliance
Former President Karzai urges peace
Afghan leaders have created a council to meet with the Taliban and manage the transfer of power. Former President Hamid Karzai, who is part of the council, said this was "to prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people," and to manage a "peaceful transfer" of power.
Image: Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo/picture alliance
US, European powers evacuate
Germany deployed military planes to help with evacuation from Afghanistan after closing its Kabul embassy. The US, Britain and Saudi Arabia are also evacuating forces, diplomats, and other officials from the country.
Image: Moritz Frankenberg/dpa/picture alliance
Protests in the US
Many in the US demonstrated in front of the White House for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan on the weekend. Admiral Mike Mullen said the US and allies "underestimated the impact of what a corrupt government does." He added: "We just reached too far, expectations were too high, and it was a bridge too far to get to where we thought we wanted to go."
