The German CP on Afghanistan

DKP statement on the current situation in Afghanistan

NATO troops led by the USA and with the participation of the Bundeswehr have withdrawn from Afghanistan after 20 years of war and occupation. They are leaving a destroyed country and are responsible for war crimes to which tens of thousands of civilians fell victim. That NATO spokespersons and politicians of the German warring parties are now lamenting the advance of the Taliban is hypocrisy.

The radical Islamist movement of the Taliban, which is now taking over the government in Afghanistan, was originally financed by the USA and NATO and trained mainly in military camps in Pakistan. They were made strong and equipped to fight the socialist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at the time, which was supported by the Soviet Union. NATO, the USA and the FRG have never been concerned with human rights and development in the region. On the contrary, it was about fighting socialist-oriented development under a government that introduced land reforms, tried to improve the social situation of the majority of the population, built up a general education system and ensured equality between women and men.

NATO’s 20-year war mission in Afghanistan was not about human rights either. It was about military strategic positions, access to trade routes and raw materials. It was about surrounding the Russian Federation and regime change in Iran, subordinating the region and destroying any development that contradicts imperialist interests. In 2010, German President Köhler had to resign because it did not suit the rulers that he even spoke this truth openly – military operations are necessary to secure economic interests.

The USA did not withdraw its troops from the country voluntarily, but because the war in Afghanistan could neither be won nor financed in the long run. And because the international framework conditions and thus the priorities of US strategy have changed. As early as 2017, the People’s Republic of China was classified as a “strategic rival” in the US “National Security Strategy”. The US and its allies are now doing everything they can to prevent China’s rise as a world power. Forces in and around Afghanistan are being withdrawn to build a bulwark against China on the Pacific.

Afghanistan is another example of the destructive policy of imperialism, including German imperialism. The fact that NATO is now also abandoning its supporters on the ground only shows once again that it has never been concerned about people and their lives.

For us communists, this means further and especially now: No to NATO – Out of NATO – No to all foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr! Stop the aggression against Russia and China! With these demands, we call for participation in the actions of the peace movement on Anti-War Day on 1 September.