The German passport (l) is placed next to the vaccination book. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa (Photo from Fabian Sommer/Picture Alliance from Getty Images)
Due to the deteriorating security situation, Germany on Thursday urged its citizens to leave Afghanistan on scheduled flights as soon as possible.
Taliban militants occupied the strategic city of Ghazni on Thursday. After a few days of fierce conflict, they took them to a place within 150 kilometers of Kabul because the Islamic group ruled out the possibility of sharing power with the local government.
The speed and violence of the Taliban’s advancement provoked many Afghans to the anger of US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops and leave the government to fight alone.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website: “It strongly urges German nationals in the area to seize the opportunity to leave the country on scheduled flights as soon as possible.”
After the rebels occupied the city of Kunduz where German troops had been deployed for ten years, the defense minister rejected a call from Berlin to send the soldiers back to Afghanistan on Monday.
Germany has the second largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States. Since the Second World War, Germany has lost more troops in the battle in Kunduz than anywhere else.
At the same time, the US Embassy in Kabul also urged American citizens to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible because the Taliban launched an offensive against government forces across the country.
The embassy issued its second security alert in a week on Thursday, calling on Americans to leave the country.
It said in a statement:
The U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to immediately use available commercial flights to choose to leave Afghanistan.
The alert includes instructions for contacting the embassy for those who cannot afford air tickets or are waiting for their children or spouses to obtain a visa to leave Afghanistan. It also warned that the ability of the embassy to help American citizens is “extremely limited.”
“The U.S. Embassy reminded American citizens that on April 27, 2021, the State Department ordered U.S. government employees to leave the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Due to the increasing reports of violence and threats in Kabul, their functions can be performed elsewhere,” it said.
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