German development agency to stay in Afghanistan after troop pullout

KABUL: A German development agency intends to continue working in Afghanistan even after international troops are withdrawn, a spokesperson for the firm said on Thursday.

The German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) can work in Afghanistan "even under difficult conditions" dpa news agency quoted the spokesperson as saying.

About 1,000 people from Afghanistan work for the GIZ, which implements development projects on behalf of the German government.

The spokesperson said that the agency was not active in regions controlled by the Taliban and underlined that security was top priority, with a risk management system in place for years.

The German Ministry responsible for economic cooperation and development said that it has not been able to identify a significant increase in notifications of danger from local staff.

Local staff have the ability to apply for admission to Germany if their work puts them at risk.

According to the ministry, 42 staff members of German development organizations and their immediate family members have received visas to enter Germany since 2013.

Afghanistan is in a state of uncertainty after US President Joe Biden announced that American troops will pull out from the country by September 11, 2021 after almost 20 years.

NATO agreed to follow suit.

According to a US non-governmental organization, 300 local staff for the US or their family were killed in Afghanistan in recent years. They are targeted by the Taliban for cooperating with the West. (IANS)

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