Sunday April 18, 2021
Before leaving Afghanistan
AKK wants to bring local staff to Germany
After almost two decades, NATO and the Bundeswehr are withdrawing from Afghanistan. Before that happens, Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer wants to bring the local Bundeswehr employees to Germany. A procedure for taking on the so-called local staff is already underway.
Before the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer wants to bring endangered local Bundeswehr employees to Germany quickly and easily. Discussions were already underway within the federal government, said the CDU politician of the dpa in an interview.
“We are talking about people who, in some cases, have worked by our side for years at risk to their own safety, have also fought and have made their personal contribution,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. “I feel it is a profound obligation of the Federal Republic of Germany not to leave these people defenseless now that we are finally leaving the country.”
There is already a procedure for taking on the so-called local staff, but there are still a number of controversial cases and now a new situation. According to the Defense Ministry, 781 local staff have been hired in Germany since the start of the local staff procedure in 2013. The German contingent “Resolute Support” currently employs around 300 local staff and is due to move out by August.
“This is a topic that is very important to me and that also drives me,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. You spoke to local staff in the country yourself. It is not only an obligation of the Bundeswehr, but of all international forces on site to ensure the safety of employees.
“I am of the opinion that we in the federal government have to take a very close look at this, and I know that I am in agreement with the Federal Foreign Office in particular,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. She also consults with Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
“From my point of view, we have a different situation because we are not talking about changing a mission, but about an end,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer. “And that may mean a different security situation and a different assessment.”
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