The Bundeswehr was in Afghanistan for almost 20 years - from 2002 to 2021. It was not only one of their longest foreign deployments, but also the one with the most casualties. A total of 59 German soldiers lost their lives in the Hindu Kush. 35 of them were killed in battles or attacks. For the first time since the Second World War, German soldiers were involved in hostilities again. But for a long time, the conditions in Afghanistan were not allowed to be called what they were back home: War.
In the end, the mission was in vain. The Taliban are back in power. Afghanistan has fallen back into the archaic derangement from which it emerged. In the face of new crises, wars and threats, the Afghanistan mission has almost been forgotten. Yet its importance cannot be overestimated: In Afghanistan, the Bundeswehr learnt how to fight. In this book, journalist and historian André Uzulis traces the events that kept the troops on their toes for two decades and shaped German security policy. It is about goodwill and naivety, about a foreign society that remained misunderstood, about a distant country with different standards, about military operations, bravery and comradeship. But also about corruption and political failure. This is the first account of its kind about the Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan. It is supplemented by a detailed chronology of events.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Uzulis, André
Title
Der vergebliche Krieg. 20 Jahre Bundeswehr in Afghanistan. Geschichte und Bilanz
