Afghanistan: Bundeswehr brings to safety German nationals and local Afghan staff

The Bundeswehr is on its way to Afghanistan with protected A400M aircraft to bring German nationals and local Afghan staff to safety. German forces are providing support to the evacuation operation of the Federal Foreign Office.

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Crisis task force of the Federal Foreign Office in charge of the operation

Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer pledged help and support to those in Afghanistan who need to be evacuated. As the operation is an armed Bundeswehr operation and violent clashes cannot be ruled out, it requires a Bundestag mandate.

Paratroopers on board

The A400M aircraft left Germany (Wunstorf) for Kabul in the early hours of Monday morning with a stopover planned in a third country. On board are a crisis support team, an air mobile protection team and a number of paratroopers. The focus is on supporting the evacuation of the German embassy in the Afghan capital with German service members.

Caption: Lift-off: The protected A400M aircraft takes off in Wunstorf with destination Kabul.

Local Afghan staff and their families – over 1,800 people have already arrived

Over the last two years, 526 locally employed staff have worked for the Bundeswehr and “submitted a threat report”, the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command reports. Of these, 491 persons were given approval for admission. Including 1,991 family members, the overall figure amounts to 2,482 persons. According to the Joint Forces Operations Command, 360 local Afghan staff and 1,485 family members have already arrived in Germany. The applications of another 350 people are still being processed.