France says has evacuated 407 Afghan nationals since Monday
In a statement, the French defense ministry said more than 570 people have been evacuated from Kabul thus far.
The French defense ministry has said in a statement it has evacuated more than 570 people, including at least 407 Afghan nationals, from Kabul since Monday, a day after the city was captured by a resurgent Taliban. The ministry’s statement comes amid a scramble by world governments to repatriate their citizens from Afghanistan, where the Taliban have seized power for a second time, and for the first time since 2001, when their five-year rule was ended by the US-led forces.
Also Read | What is the role of Haqqani network, Afghanistan's most feared militants, in new Taliban regime?
“A fourth evacuation plane landed in Paris on Friday evening. There were four French citizens and 99 Afghans on board. Most of them are people who were working with the French government or French groups in Afghanistan,” the statement read. It further stated that the French embassy in Kabul, which has been relocated to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, as well as state services, remain “fully mobilised to ensure new flights as soon as possible.”
Also Read | Confusion over Indian evacuees’ status, reports suggest Taliban rounded them up
France’s first evacuation flight from the Afghan capital landed in Paris via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron had announced after its arrival. A day before, Macron had promised that his government would not “abandon the Afghans who worked for France” and would also “seek to protect journalists, artists, activists and others under threat” following the return of the Taliban regime.
The Taliban conquered Kabul on August 15, forcing senior officials, including then-president Ashraf Ghani, to flee from the country. Since then, Ghani has been taken in by the UAE, while first vice president Amrullah Saleh, who is also in hiding, has declared himself as the caretaker president “in accordance with the Constitution of Afghanistan.” The Talibans’ advance towards the Afghan capital, and eventual victory, came amid the ongoing withdrawal of the American troops, who are leaving Afghanistan after arriving here following the 9/11 attacks.
(With agency inputs)