Berlin (dpa) – Among the thousands of people flown out of Kabul by the German Bundeswehr in the wake of the Taliban takeover was a minister of the former Afghan government under Ashraf Ghani, dpa has learned.

Mohammed Kasim Halimi, who previously served as minister for religious affairs, arrived in Germany almost two weeks ago, according to the information.

Halimi already had an important post in the Foreign Ministry during the Taliban’s first rule. After they were toppled in 2001, he became one of the militant group’s fierce critics.

Following the beginning of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban rapidly seized numerous provincial capitals before capturing Kabul in mid-August. Former president Ghani fled abroad as the militants advanced.

The German airlift began on August 16. In total, 4,587 people were evacuated to Germany during the course of 11 days, among them 3,849 Afghans and 403 Germans, according to the Interior Ministry.