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Johann Wadephul (CDU) had made public that the Bundeswehr wanted to move helicopters to Kabul
Photo: Monika Skolimowska / DPA
The SPD accuses the Union's deputy parliamentary group leader, Johann Wadephul (CDU), of making the Bundeswehr's evacuation mission in Kabul more difficult and endangering soldiers by divulging secret military information.
Wadephul had made public on the talk show "Maybrit Illner" that the Bundeswehr wanted to move two KSK helicopters to Kabul. The defense policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, Siemtje Möller, criticized this in “Bild am Sonntag”: “Surprise is a military principle. That is why such tactical information is kept secret. It is irresponsible that your colleague blurts you out on a talk show. So the Taliban have all the time in the world to prepare for it. This makes our soldiers an easy target, the evacuation mission even more dangerous. "
Wadephul defended himself in "Bild am Sonntag".
He had received approval from Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: "The minister told me that it was known and that it could be used."
Everyone here, including the Minister, was surprised. "
Heiko Maas is also under pressure
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) comes under further pressure because of the hesitant evacuation of the embassy in Kabul.
According to information from "Bild am Sonntag" from security circles, the bodyguards of the federal police in the embassy reported to the Foreign Office in Berlin on Friday, August 13th: The situation in Kabul was getting out of control, and it was threatened with complete overturning within a few hours.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "In the crisis team, the embassy made the assessment on Friday that security could be guaranteed in the short term, but not in the medium or long term." In the past few days there had been increasing calls for the Foreign Minister to resign .
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