US and allies race to evacuate staff as Taliban reaches Kabul

Afghanistan updates

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The US and its allies accelerated the withdrawal of diplomatic and civilian personnel from Kabul over the weekend after the Taliban made speedy advances in the direction of the Afghan capital.

Taliban insurgents reached the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday because the US evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter, and an Afghan authorities minister stated energy could be handed over to an interim administration.

US president Joe Biden introduced on Saturday that 1,000 extra troops could be deployed to help the evacuation effort, along with the 1,000 nonetheless current in Afghanistan and the three,000 despatched final week.

The US president stated his administration wished “to stop additional bloodshed and pursue a political settlement” however warned that “any motion on their half on the bottom in Afghanistan that places US personnel or our mission in danger there will likely be met with a swift and powerful US army response”.

Germany stated on Sunday that it had evacuated its embassy in Kabul to the town’s airport. “The staff have now arrived there and have taken up their duties,” the German international ministry stated.

The German military will deploy 300 troopers to Afghanistan on Monday to evacuate residents and Afghan native workers from the nation, in what’s being described as the biggest such mission within the Bundeswehr’s historical past.

The international ministry stated the German embassy in Kabul was closed down on Sunday, in view of the “drastically worsened safety scenario”. It additionally stated the civilian a part of Kabul worldwide airport had been closed.

Emirates airline stated a flight to Kabul on Sunday was diverted because of the non permanent closure of the runway on the airport, whereas Flydubai suspended providers.

The Emirates Boeing 777-300 flight circled over the town, plane monitoring web site FlightRadar24 confirmed, earlier than returning to Dubai.

Heiko Maas, the German international minister, has referred to as a gathering of the federal government’s disaster committee to “agree emergency measures to guard and evacuate German workers and different endangered individuals.” 

He advised Bild am Sonntag newspaper that the swift evacuation of German diplomats and different workers was the very best precedence. “We gained’t danger our individuals falling into the fingers of the Taliban,” he stated. “We’re ready for all eventualities.”

The UK’s Overseas, Commonwealth and Growth Workplace stated: “British authorities workers proceed to work in Kabul to supply help to British nationals and to our Afghan workers. We’re doing all we are able to to allow remaining British nationals who need to depart to take action.”

One official stated that UK diplomats “are persevering with to work out of the embassy,” however couldn’t say how lengthy they might proceed to take action. British prime minister Boris Johnson convened a gathering of the Cobra emergency committee on Sunday to debate the scenario in Afghanistan, whereas parliament can be being recalled.

The Russian embassy in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul stated it noticed no risk from developments within the metropolis and no must evacuate in the mean time, TASS state information company reported.

“The scenario in Kabul is a bit tense however there isn’t any conflict within the metropolis,” the Russian embassy advised TASS. The Taliban on Sunday pledged to ensure security for the Russian embassy in Kabul.

“We’ve good relations with Russia and our coverage, on the whole, is to make sure secure circumstances for operations of the Russian and different embassies,” TASS quoted a Taliban official as saying.