BERLIN (REUTERS) - The first of several German military planes to arrive in Kabul was able to evacuate only seven people, a foreign policy spokesman in Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said, due to chaos at the Afghan capital's airport.
Germany, which had the second largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, wants to airlift thousands of German-Afghan dual nationals as well as rights activists, lawyers and people who worked with foreign forces.
The main mission of the A400M military transport plane, in what Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer described as a "breakneck landing", was to bring in German soldiers to organise and secure the evacuation.
"We have a very chaotic, dangerous and complex situation at the airport," she told broadcaster ARD. "We had very little time, so we took on board only people who were on site. Due to the chaotic situation, not many were able to be at the airport."
Only seven made as the plane had to leave quickly and other Germans could not get into the airport without protection from German soldiers, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"Admission of people from the civilian part of the airport was not made possible by the partners exercising security responsibility at the airport," the spokesperson said.
With 600 soldiers due to take part in the evacuation, Germany hopes to be able to get more people out in coming hours.
Military flights to evacuate diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan were suspended on Monday as people trying to flee after Taleban insurgents seized Kabul crowded the runway. Flights resumed early on Tuesday.
Germany is now waiting for the United States to grant it permission to fly a second aircraft in. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said she hoped that the airport could be kept open for several days so that as many people as possible could be evacuated via an air bridge. The German military is using Tashkent as a hub to which it plans to bring evacuated people.
"Now it is important that we can set up everything on the ground so that we can get people out," Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said. "Those are not only German citizens, they are also local staff, at-risk people. We will also support other countries," she added.
