• Why is Germany involved in Afghanistan at all?
• Is Afghanistan to become a western-style democracy?
• What factors will determine whether or not efforts in Afghanistan are successful?
• What about reconstruction in Afghanistan?
• How exactly do projects help the people?
• What happens with the money that the German government is currently investing in Afghanistan?
• The German government intends to withdraw German combat troops by the end of 2014. What did the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decide at its summit in Chicago in May 2012?
• Will Germany continue to support Afghanistan even after combat troops are withdrawn at the end of 2014, and if so what form will this engagement take?
• How many German soldiers are currently in Afghanistan? Where are they stationed? What do they do?
• How does the Bundeswehr support the building of the Afghan National Army?
• How is Germany helping build the civilian police force?
• Germany is providing bilateral assistance to build Afghanistan’s police, as well as being involved in European Union (EU) efforts. How does that fit together?
• What exact form does German support for police building take?
• What will happen after 2014 to the Afghans working for Germany? Should they be admitted to Germany if their lives are at risk after German troops are withdrawn?

The German government has taken as its motto for the civilian and military elements of its overall strategy for Afghanistan "responsible hand-over". The frequently asked questions below and the answers look at important aspects of Germany’s engagement in Afghanistan.

Why is Germany involved in Afghanistan at all?

The devastating terrorist attacks on targets in the western world that began with the 9/11 attacks in 2001 in New York and Washington D.C. showed us only too clearly how fanatics from distant parts of the world can pose an immediate threat to our security. At that time al-Qaeda enjoyed the protection of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in the USA, Germany, within the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) and the international community, declared itself willing to contribute to building peace and to reconstruction in Afghanistan, once the Taliban had been ousted from power. Today 50 nations are involved in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which operates under a United Nations mandate. On 31 January 2013 the German Bundestag extended the mandate for the German ISAF contingent in Afghanistan.
At the very heart of the German government’s strategy is the gradual handing over of responsibility for security to the Afghan government. The structures of a properly functioning state should eliminate the want and discontent that proved to be such fertile soil for the  propaganda of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, thus reducing the danger of international terrorist attacks. Germany wishes to enable Afghanistan to develop in peace. The international community has a responsibility to the majority of Afghans who do not want to return to the pre-2001 era. In the long term only a stable Afghan state can ensure that the country is not used as a safe haven by dangerous terrorists. It is our own security that is at stake as well as the future of Afghanistan.

Back to top

Is Afghanistan to become a western-style democracy?

Afghanistan needs peace within the country. Before the nation can develop peacefully though, it needs stable structures in which all sections of the population have a place. A democratic state is the best form of government for this, because it provides for the reconciliation of divergent interests within a society. The constitution adopted by the Afghan people lays the necessary foundations.

In spite of numerous irregularities, all elections held in Afghanistan since 2001 have demonstrated that a democratic awareness is gaining ground among the Afghan people. The turn-out for the presidential election in 2009 and the parliamentary elections in 2010, as well as the establishment of village development councils, provide ample proof that the people want to have their democratic say – in spite of all the Taliban’s threats. The presidential election in 2014 and the parliamentary elections in 2015 will be further important milestones on the road to consolidating the rule of law. Afghanistan itself is responsible for ensuring that elections are free, fair and transparent. Only then will the outcome be accepted by the majority of the population.

A democracy can only work if certain minimum standards of good governance and the rule of law are respected, along with human rights. Afghanistan still has a great deal of work to do in this respect. Any one-to-one copy of western models would nevertheless be inappropriate in Afghanistan. The unique historical and cultural development of the country must be taken into account.

Back to top

What factors will determine whether or not efforts in Afghanistan are successful?

It is absolutely paramount that Afghanistan accept the responsibility for the security of its people. That is why Germany will continue to focus on training the Afghan security forces, i.e. the army and the police. And progress can be seen – the Afghan government began to assume responsibility for security as of July 2011. At the end of the ongoing fourth phase of the process, the Afghan security forces will be responsible for almost 90 per cent of the population.
There can only be lasting peace in Afghanistan if progress is made with the peace and reconciliation process inside the country. The goal is to achieve lasting peace among Afghans on the basis of justice and respect for human rights. At the end of the reconciliation process, there must be a clear break with international terrorism, a renouncing of the use of violence, and the recognition of the Afghan constitution.

Back to top

What about reconstruction in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Since 2002 the Afghan economy has boomed, admittedly from a very low starting point. The average per capita income has risen dramatically. Poverty, however, is still rife, especially in rural areas. Many parts of the country still lack basic transport, energy drinking water and irrigation infrastructure. And the population is expanding by one million people every year. This rapidly growing young population is demanding that the government give them prospects, including not only security, but also schooling and tertiary education, jobs, infrastructure, affordable housing and safe drinking water supplies.

German development cooperation with Afghanistan focuses on basic education and vocational training, sustainable economic development, improving access to electricity and safe drinking water, improving the health service and promoting good governance. These overall objectives are being pursued in Afghanistan by coupling civilian engagement with capacity development activities to enable the Afghan partners, thus helping put in place sustainable state structures.

The regional focus is on the north of the country, where Germany has also assumed a special military responsibility. The progress report on Afghanistan published by the German government provides information about Germany’s engagement and progress made, as well as the remaining challenges in the fields of security, governance and development.

Back to top

How exactly do projects help the people?

• Let’s take the example of schooling: During the civil war a great many schools were destroyed. Today over seven million children attend school – more than one third of them girls. Since 2009 alone, over 90,000 teachers have undergone pre- and in-service training with German support. Germany has also helped build more than 2,000 schools.
• If we look at health care: With German support, for the first time in Afghanistan’s history systematic treatment has been provided by specially trained counsellors in all 34 provinces of the country for post-traumatic disorders, caused by experiences in wartime or by domestic violence, mostly directed against women.
• In the field of infrastructure: Drinking water supplies have been improved in Herat and Kunduz.  Kabul once again has round-the-clock power supplies also thanks to German support. Today more than one million people have access to this electricity. Since 2009 more than 466 km of roads have been built or restored.

• The private sector: Germany supports local banks that offer attractive loans for investment. Since 2009, over 197,000 Afghans, more than 30,000 of them women, have benefitted from microloans, awarded with the support of German-Afghan development cooperation. Small and medium-sized enterprises have also been granted around 2,000 loans.

Back to top

What happens with the money that the German government is currently investing in Afghanistan?

Germany is investing up to 430 million euros a year in civilian reconstruction activities in Afghanistan with the following goals:

• Generating more income and jobs by supporting rural development and promoting the local economy;
• Improving health care by building four provincial hospitals and supporting primary health care projects that stand to benefit about 3 million patients;
• Financing (vocational) schools and teacher training that will benefit around 500,000 children and young people;
• Improving the traffic and transport infrastructure to enhance development and security; provincial and district centres and isolated areas are being linked with paved roads, benefitting 2.5 million people;
• Improving energy and drinking water supplies to some 2 million people in the north of the country;
• Building a professional police force that operates in line with rule-of-law principles, by providing training and equipment, building police infrastructure, improving literacy among police officers and fighting corruption;
• Establishing functioning provincial and district administrations with the help of improved equipment and training.

Back to top

The German government intends to withdraw German combat troops by the end of 2014. What did the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decide at its summit in Chicago in May 2012?

At the NATO summit meeting held in Lisbon in November 2010 the member states pledged their support to President Karzai’s target of gradually transferring responsibility for security for the country as a whole to the Afghan side by the end of 2014. By mid-2013 the entire country will be in the throes of the hand-over or transition process.

The German government is making the most of the security-policy leeway this provides, and has been gradually drawing down the Bundeswehr troops in Afghanistan. This process will be continued as far as the situation permits and providing that withdrawal jeopardises neither German troops nor the sustainability of the transition process. In spite of substantial progress, the security situation in many parts of the country remains unstable.

At the NATO summit held in Chicago on 21 May 2012, the member states confirmed the roadmap adopted in Lisbon. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission will be discontinued as of 31 December 2014, and all combat troops will leave Afghanistan. NATO is, however, willing, if so requested by the Afghan government, to launch a new mission after 2014 that would have a new focus – training, advisory services and support – and would, for the first time, not involve any combat activities. By mid-2013 NATO is to draw up the outlines of a plan for the follow-on mission “Resolute Support”.

In Chicago the nations involved in the ISAF mission and Afghanistan underscored the fact that the Afghan police force (Afghan National Police, or ANP) will in future bear the primary responsibility for internal security in Afghanistan and will be a civilian authority.

Back to top

Will Germany continue to support Afghanistan even after combat troops are withdrawn at the end of 2014, and if so what form will this engagement take?

Afghanistan will not be abandoned after 2014. Germany will continue to provide substantial support even after 2015. An agreement on bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan stipulates that once the full responsibility for security has been transferred to the Afghan side, Germany will continue to be involved in training, advising and financing the Afghan army and police force. This agreement also regulates other areas of cooperation, including German assistance in the fields of training, reconstruction and economic cooperation. As of 2015 Germany will provide some 150 million euros a year to help finance the Afghan security forces. At the summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held in Chicago on 21 May 2012, the Afghan government pledged to gradually increase its share of financing the country’s security forces with a view to finally assuming the full cost. At the International Conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo on 8 July 2012, Germany undertook to work with the international community to provide long-term financial support for civilian reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. With an annual contribution of up to 430 million euros, initially until 2016, Germany is the third largest donor behind the USA and Japan. This support is, however, dependent on tangible reforms being undertaken by the Afghan government.

Back to top

How many German soldiers are currently in Afghanistan? Where are they stationed? What do they do?

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is supporting the Afghan government in its moves to establish and maintain security throughout the country. The new mandate of the German Bundestag reduces the ceiling on Bundeswehr troops in Afghanistan from 4,900 to 4,400. The German government aims to cut the German ISAF contingent to 3,300 by the end of the current mandate on 28 February 2014, provided the security situation is moving in the right direction. The paramount consideration is still not to jeopardise everything that has been achieved in Afghanistan by drawing down troops too soon.

The German ISAF contingent, based in Mazar-e Sharif, is still deployed in the north of Afghanistan, where it continues to support the building of the Afghan National Army (ANA). This involves training and advisory services as well as jointly planning, preparing and supporting security operations. German training places the emphasis on protecting the civilian population.

Back to top

How does the Bundeswehr support the building of the Afghan National Army?

In moves to build the Afghan National Army (ANA), Germany is concentrating on the 209th Army Corps which is stationed in the north of the country, the army engineering school in Mazar-e Sharif and the logistics school in Kabul. In 2013 activities will be continued to build the Army Corps within the area of responsibility of the German-led Regional Command North. Twenty-five of the twenty-nine units already stand. About 80 per cent of the units of this Army Corps are already in a position to conduct operations independently or with the support of ISAF advisors. This is why Germany’s involvement is largely limited to supporting the Afghan National Army (ANA), for instance with reconnaissance work, armoured protection and tactical air transport services. These are capabilities which the ANA does not yet have on an adequate scale. Germany’s mission has done much to foster positive development and has greatly enhanced the responsibility and independence of Afghan security forces.

Back to top

How is Germany helping build the civilian police force?

Effective security forces that operate in line with rule-of-law principles, are a basic prerequisite for a sovereign, stable Afghanistan that is in a position to ensure its own security. One sign of the success of German and international efforts to build Afghanistan’s police force can be seen in the way the general public perceive the country’s police. The police force has been seen in an increasingly positive light over the last few years according to regular studies conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The main objective of Germany’s contribution to building the police force in Afghanistan is to establish a fully functional police training system before the Afghan side assumes overall responsibility in 2014. One of the cornerstones is ensuring sound training for Afghan police instructors. German police instructors are also upgrading Afghan police officers. Training covers handling arrests, handling weapons and conducting questioning in line with the rule of law. Germany is also running across the board literacy courses for the police in northern Afghanistan, building police stations and training centres, and topping up salaries.

Back to top

Germany is providing bilateral assistance to build Afghanistan’s police, as well as being involved in European Union (EU) efforts. How does that fit together?

Since 2002 Germany has been involved in building the police force in Afghanistan on the basis of a bilateral agreement. In addition to this, Germany has been involved at European level since the European Union Police Mission (EUPOL) in Afghanistan was launched in June 2007. Alongside Germany, the vast majority of EU member states are involved in this mission. Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Croatia are also supporting EUPOL in Afghanistan – a total of 27 states are currently contributing to the mission.

The bilateral German mission and EUPOL pursue a common goal – the establishment of a civilian police force that operates in line with the rule of law. The European mission, however, has other additional focuses. In its police component EUPOL addresses mainly the training of the most senior levels of the force, improving leadership and communication structures, obtaining and managing information, and establishing criminal investigation structures. The rule of law component aims to fight corruption and ensure human rights are respected. Gender equality within the Afghan police force is also to be improved, as is cooperation between the police and public prosecutors.

Back to top

What exact form does German support for police building take?

The German police force trains Afghan police officers in the German-built training centres in Mazar-e Sharif and Kunduz. There is a special focus on training police instructors. In the German-built instructor training centre in Kabul Afghan police officers are trained as instructors, and can then be posted nationwide. The subject matter covered by courses and the length of the courses are agreed in detail with the Afghan Ministry of the Interior and then anchored in mandatory national curricula. This intensive cooperation ensures that training is geared to the objectives and the needs of Afghanistan. German experts have now transferred the responsibility for training to Afghan instructors. With the exception of special further training programmes, German instructors work primarily in an advisory capacity. The shining example is the policy academy in Kabul, where the officer training for the entire country is provided entirely by Afghan staff. German police officers advise the various sections of the police academy. Since the Feyzabad training centre was handed over on 2 July 2012, the Afghan side has also been responsible for training and for the running of this facility. In summer 2013 the Kunduz police training centre too will be transferred to the Afghan side.

Back to top

What will happen after 2014 to the Afghans working for Germany? Should they be admitted to Germany if their lives are at risk after German troops are withdrawn?

Germany has a special responsibility towards the people who have worked with us locally, as interpreters or drivers for instance, whether for the Bundeswehr or for a civilian German project office. The new international Afghanistan mandate as of 2014 will mean a significant reduction in German forces on the ground and thus fewer jobs for Afghan staff, 1,600 of whom are currently employed. Afghans linked to Germany could indeed feel themselves threatened by extreme political forces in their own country. The best possible solution must be found along with those affected in each individual case. There can be no blanket solution or provisions made in advance. The Afghan government has pointed out that these individuals will continue to be needed for the civilian reconstruction work in Afghanistan because of their knowledge and skills. A “brain drain” would be detrimental to the future of the country.