Berlin: The German authorities said Monday they had provided 2,400 visas so far for Afghan employees from the military and their relatives, although not all wanted to come to Germany soon.
Germany pulled his last troops from Afghanistan last week after the spread of almost 20 years and focused on the north of the country.
It has the second largest foreign contingent in Afghanistan after the United States.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said in April that Germany had a “profound obligation” not to leave unprotected local residents who helped force him to themselves.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said that 2,400 German visas were given in recent weeks for local employees and their relatives.
He acknowledged that the procedure was complicated by the military withdrawal and the closure of the German consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif, but said Berlin tried to work with partners such as international organizations for migration.
The last office has not started working because of the security situation, he added.
Before the military went, 446 local employees and their relatives, a total of 2,250 people, was given a travel document, a spokesman for Defense Ministry David Helmbold.
At that time, “a relatively small amount” application remains open, he added.
“Not all of those who receive this travel document want to go directly,” Helmbold told reporters in Berlin.
“There are a number of locals (employees) who say, we really want to stay as long as possible in Afghanistan, but we want to have the possibility to go if the security situation increases.” He said he could not give a certain number for the number that did not want to leave immediately.
The US military last week emptied the largest airfield in Afghanistan, advancing the final withdrawal that the Pentagon said it would be completed at the end of August.
Drawdown was mostly done, with Germany one of the many allies that had been pulled out in the past few weeks.
Germany gives 2,400 visas to Afghan employees and their relatives
