(GermanPolicy.com) – Chancellor Angela Merkel regards the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan as “bitter hours.” In a meeting of the CDU, she described it as important to save the Afghan local forces of the Bundeswehr. There are around 2,500 local employees in addition to 2,000 people, such as human rights activists and lawyers, who want to leave the country. On Wednesday, the Federal Cabinet should decide on the German rescue operation. It is meant to help the neighboring states of Afghanistan with regard to the refugees. The cabinet is also planning on contacting the UN refugee organization.

The CDU candidate for Chancellor Armin Laschet (CDU) has meanwhile emphasized that one must “talk about the causes and conclusions” in a “relentless error analysis.” For example, one also has to rescue “women activists, human rights activists, mayors and others” from Afghanistan. Nevertheless, one should not signal that Germany is ready to accept all refugees. Rather, it is time for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

The chairman of the FDP, Christian Lindner, had previously said that it was a “moral obligation” to evacuate local workers, besides Germans. The Greens want to take in a number of over 10,000 people, as Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock advocated. The German media had proposed an emergency visa program, as the lives of many in Afghanistan are in acute danger. The first signatories include RTL, Der Spiegel and Reporters Without Borders.