For the first time since the end of the evacuation operation from Kabul of German citizens and Afghans in danger in August, the German government on Wednesday expelled German nationals, former Afghan soldiers in the German army or people in need of German federal services and other by charter flight.
A total of 329 people, including entire families, were evacuated from the country, the German Foreign Ministry said via Twitter. These people were initially transported to Qatar.
After the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan on August 15, Bundeswehr – the German army – removed more than 5,300 Germans, Afghans and civilians from other countries in 11 days. The bridge was closed shortly before the last US troops left Afghanistan, after twenty years of war.
Since then, the evacuation process has slowed down. In early October, about 25,000 Afghans were granted entry to Germany, including 17,800 former military, ministry and federal staff and family members.
But only about 2,000 have been able to leave Afghanistan with German help since August – most by land, with intermediate stops in neighboring countries, most notably Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Several hundred more people whose names were included in the list left by their own means.
The ousting operation is hampered by the fact that there is no German embassy in Kabul since the Taliban’s Islamic fundamentalist movement returned to power.
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