Germany ended its military presence in Afghanistan on Tuesday as the last German soldier deployed in the country returned home, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said.  "After nearly 20 years of deployment, the last soldiers of our Bundeswehr have left Afghanistan this evening," she said in a statement. 

"A historic chapter comes to an end, an intensive deployment that challenged and shaped the Bundeswehr, in which the Bundeswehr proved itself in combat," she said, thanking all 150,000 German soldiers who had served in the country since 2001 as part of NATO missions. 

During the 20-year long deployment, 59 German soldiers lost their lives,  making it the deadliest military mission for the country since World War II. 

In April this year, US President Biden had announced the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan by 11 September. Following this, NATO also announced its departure. Despite the September deadline, media reports suggest, the withdrawal may be completed as early as the first week of July. 

Since 1 May, when the final phase of the withdrawal began, the Taliban has taken control of over 100 districts of Afghanistan's 407 districts. Unable to hold their ground, Afghan security forces, on many occasions, either surrendered to the Taliban or just deserted their posts. 

(SAM)