Germany said Friday it would send two light helicopters to rescue its citizens after the Taliban shot a civilian in Kabul, Afghanistan, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Federal Ministry of Defense announced it would require two H145M helicopters to rescue its citizens. The latest data from the Ministry of Defense found Germany has eleven completed flights out of Kabul, evacuated nearly 2,000 citizens from the ground, and evacuated people from 38 nations.
Wir fassen zusammen: Aktuelle Zahlen rund um den Einsatz in #Afghanistan hier im Überblick. Bis jetzt wurden über 1700 gefährdete Personen gerettet. Heute verlegen zudem noch leichte Mehrzweckhubschrauber H145M nach Kabul – sie erweitern die Handlungsmöglichkeiten vor Ort. pic.twitter.com/nVamECDKsb
— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) August 20, 2021
Germany is ramping up its efforts to get its citizens out after the Taliban shot a civilian on his way to the Kabul airport. “A German civilian suffered a gunshot wound on his way to Kabul airport. He is receiving medical attention, but his life is not in danger, and he will be flown out soon,” a German government spokeswoman said on Friday, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The Taliban executed the relative of a journalist and seriously harmed another after a door-to-door search for the reporter in Afghanistan, the German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. (RELATED: Biden Administration Continues To Tell Fleeing Americans To Pay Their Way Out Of Afghanistan, Hours After Telling The Press Otherwise)
“The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves,” DW Director General Peter Limbourg said in a statement.
“It is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists, both in Kabul and in the provinces,” he continued. “We are running out of time!”
The Taliban has raided the homes of at least three other DW journalists, according to the media outlet.