By: V4 Agency
Germany funded the building of a mosque in Afghanistan, which later became a centre of radical Islamism and spread anti-West views.
In an interview, German terrorism expert Rolf Tophoven said that the German foreign ministry funded the building of a mosque in an Afghan town which later turned out to be a centre of radical Islamism and anti-West incitement, that is, it became a hotbed of Islamist propaganda. It was reported to the relevant foreign ministry officials following a signal from the German forces serving in the country, but it turned out that the ministry already knew about it.
Mr Tophoven says this is a good example of the phenomenon when, despite the good intentions, unintended consequences have to be expected due to the ignorance of the West. He stated that “perhaps the biggest mistake the West made was not fully understanding Afghanistan and rushing to create democracy there, which proved to be a fatal mistake.”
The expert also pointed out that although German politicians kept emphasizing that the Bundeswehr’s task was to build infrastructure in the country, this had not been true for a long time. “From 2006, at the latest, Taliban attacks became more and more frequent, and the mission became a combat mission – it became a war.”
With the growing wave of refugees from Afghanistan, Germany has to expect an increased threat of terrorism, Mr Tophoven said, adding that it cannot be ruled out that among the refugees there are or will be some who has been radicalised to the point of “committing acts of violence.” At the same time, he thinks that Taliban combatants would not go to Germany with the purpose of commit attacks there. The more crucial question, he stressed, will be whether Afghanistan will once again became the terrorist hotspot that it was before 2001.