German soldiers face theft probe over 2021 Kabul evacuation operation

Several German soldiers are being investigated for theft following an evacuation operation in Afghanistan in 2021, prosecutors announced on Monday, reported dpa.

The accused are five members of the Bundeswehr, Germany's military, from the contingent that was responsible for evacuating people from Afghanistan, said a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office in the southern German town of Kempten.

"The subject of the proceedings is the allegation that the accused unlawfully appropriated goods from shops at Kabul Airport during the evacuations," said the press spokeswoman.

She did not provide any further details regarding the allegations. The soldiers are presumed innocent until the proceedings are concluded.

The Bundeswehr withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 sooner than planned. After the Taliban took the capital, Kabul, with virtually no resistance, Germany took part in an international military evacuation.

The operation involved operating in chaotic and dangerous conditions around the capital's airport.

The courts in Kempten are dealing with the case because they have jurisdiction over offences committed by Bundeswehr soldiers "on special overseas deployment."