Merkel says Germany to discuss evacuation of local workers with Taliban: Report

Merkel, who is also the foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU), said that the EU is ready to engage with the Taliban if they respect human rights, including those of women.

German chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said that Germany will talk to the Taliban about how to evacuate remaining local contract workers from Afghanistan, news agency Reuters reported. She further added that the Kabul airport being used for flights once more is a good sign.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a news conference in Hagen, Germany. She said Germany will hold talks with the Taliban regarding evacuation of  people who worked for Germany.  (Reuters)

Merkel, who is also the foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU), said that the EU is ready to engage with the Taliban if they respect human rights, including those of women. It also highlighted that Afghanistan should not become a terror base.

“We need to talk to the Taliban about how we can continue to get people who worked for Germany out of the country and to safety,” Merkel was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters. She added that the international aid organisations should also be allowed to improve the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.

The Taliban have not yet named a government after it stormed back to power on August 15. Afghans, human rights advocates and world leaders fear that Taliban may soon bring back regressive practices it introduced during their 1996-2001 rule, like ban on schooling for women and violent public punishments.