Germany withdraws its last troops from Afghanistan

Germany's military completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan on 29 June, marking the end of the country's almost 20-year-long military mission in the Central Asian country.

The Bundeswehr announced the following day that the last German troops had been flown out of the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif aboard a A400M transport aircraft.

About 160,000 German soldiers had served in Afghanistan over the past two decades, 35 of whom were killed in combat or as a result of militant attacks, making it Germany's deadliest military mission since the end of the Second World War. An additional 24 personnel lost their lives in the country in non-combat-related incidents, according to the Bundeswehr.

The German pullout began in May when the Bundeswehr still had 1,100 personnel on the ground. Over the past few weeks, the German military not only flew out the remaining troops but also withdrew the equivalent of about 750 containers of equipment, including munitions, 120 armoured vehicles, and six helicopters.

The latest developments come as US President Joe Biden announced on 14 April that all US and coalition troops, as well as foreign defence contractors, would leave Afghanistan before 11 September: almost 20 years after the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the US that resulted in the country engaging in its longest-ever running war.

On 25 June the Associated Press (AP) quoted unnamed US officials as saying that the US military pull-out from Afghanistan was set to be largely completed within “the next two weeks”.