Former German FM blames lack of US coordination for chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan

Former German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Thursday blamed Germany’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 on the unilateral decision of then-US President Donald Trump.

Maas told a German parliamentary inquiry committee, that the then US government did not coordinate the withdrawal date with the then Afghan government, Deutsche Welle reported.

He said the Islamic Emirate clearly gained more confidence after the Doha agreement, increasing its number of attacks on former Afghan government troops.

The former German foreign minister said that there was no analyzing of the situation with NATO members, and the United States implemented the withdrawal plan, ignoring concerns at the NATO or EU.

Maas said that if Germany had known earlier when the United States would begin the evacuation process, it could have taken preparations earlier.

He referred to his trip to Kabul in April 2021, saying he did not think that “the government was collapsing.”

Meanwhile, former German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller also answered questions at the committee on Thursday.

He noted that despite the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, no local Afghan staff of German development partners were killed and no one was imprisoned.