Municipalities in Germany are calling for the implementation of an international quota program for refugees from Afghanistan. "It must be guaranteed that Germany, which took in a large number of refugees from Syria in the past, won’t have to bear the brunt of [this crisis too]," said Gerd Landsberg, the chief executive of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities to the Rheinische Post newspaper.

The association welcomed the evacuation campaigns administered by the German armed forces and urged for a generous reception of Afghans who worked for German forces and their families in Germany. "This is a moral and humanitarian obligation that also has an important political dimension for the future,” Landsberg said.

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However, Landsgerg added, "(b)eyond this group of people, there will be many more Afghans to see their salvation in [seeking] asylum." To deal with the situation, there must be international agreements with the immediate neighbors of Afghanistan, and, should the situation arise, countries such as the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and the EU members should agree to contingents, according to Landsberg. 

Distribution and the accommodation of the current evacuees would go smoothly, Landsberg told public broadcaster SWR. Afghan former local staff will be integrated easily, Landsberg added, since they have a basic knowledge of the German language and they are familiar with the country’s structure. 

Moreover, the initial reception facilities in the federal states are currently underutilized. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Landsberg said, only about 40% of the accommodation facilities are occupied.

'Let more people come to Germany'

Annalena Baerbock, the Green party leader and candidate for succeeding Angela Merkel, said that Germany is obliged to take in over 50,000 Afghans. That includes family members of the former local staff, journalists, and human rights activists who are under threat from the Taliban. 

Amira Mohamed Ali, German MP from the Left party, announced her party supports taking in refugees from Afghanistan. "After 20 years of military operation in the country, we have a responsibility that we have to live up to," she said in a parliamentary statement.

Activists, journalists, and local contractors working for foreign armed forces fear acts of revenge, while many citizens are worried about a return of violence, despotism, and destruction under Taliban rule. 

With KNA, Reuters