According to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this will be discussed at a video conference of the heads of state and government of the G7 industrialized countries on Tuesday. Representatives of the Islamists reject an extension of the evacuations. The US Pentagon wants to keep the deadline.
The goal is to evacuate all American troops from the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul by the end of August, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in Washington on Monday. All forces are currently concentrated on this.
A Taliban spokesman in the Qatari capital Doha told Sky News that extending the evacuation deadline would mean extending the country’s military occupation. That is neither necessary nor will it be accepted. If the US decides to do so, there will be consequences, the spokesman continued. “If the US or UK asked for additional time to continue evacuations, the answer would be no,” said Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban delegation in Doha. The deadline set for August 31 is a “red line,” the Shaheen said.
“Fear of oppression unfounded”
Shaheen explained the large crowd at the airport in Kabul with the wish of many people to escape poverty in Afghanistan. Fears of repression by the Taliban are used as a pretext and are unfounded. He described reports of retaliation by Taliban fighters against journalists, former government employees and other alleged collaborators as “fake”. Any incident is neither investigated. Whoever is guilty will be held accountable.
For days, after the fall of Kabul, the NATO countries have been trying to fly foreigners and Afghan local staff from the capital to the radical Islamic Taliban. So far, the US armed forces had announced that they would operate the airport until August 31. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said he did not expect his country’s troops to stay longer than the US military. That is why it is now “about hours, not weeks”.
German five-point plan for crisis management
Germany’s Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer expressed understanding for the difficult consideration of the USA to extend the evacuation at Kabul airport beyond the end of August in view of the dangers. “Can you trust the Taliban if there is a promise that you can stay?” She asked Bild.TV. In the end, there is no point in staying longer if that would put people in danger.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas presented a five-point plan for overcoming the Afghanistan crisis. Firstly, there are talks with Turkey and the USA, but also with the Taliban, as to whether Kabul airport can continue to be operated civilly after August 31 to fly people out. Second, talk to Afghanistan’s neighbors so that they can take in refugees overland. 100 million euros are available for this.
Uncomplicated visa for entry
In addition, German embassies in neighboring countries should quickly and easily issue visas for entry into Germany. Fourth, the staff in the diplomatic missions will be increased there in order to enable a smooth process. Fifth, the program for Afghans at particular risk will be increased by a further ten million euros.
According to the Bundeswehr, Germany has flown around 3,000 people from Kabul. Among them are 1,800 Afghans, 143 Germans and 350 citizens of the rest of the EU. However, there are still 5,000 people on the airport premises. In addition, according to the Federal Foreign Office, there is a low three-digit number of Germans in the country.
According to the Defense Department, the British armed forces have flown 5,725 people from Afghanistan since August 13. More than 1,000 British military personnel are currently deployed in Kabul. Most recently, Japan also sent a military plane to Afghanistan to take citizens and local workers out of the country. According to its own statements, Switzerland flew out 100 people.
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Hungary also evacuated Austrians
According to Reuters, Hungary evacuated a total of 173 people on Monday, including Austrians and Americans. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the plane landed in Budapest in the morning. Eight people were able to leave Afghanistan safely yesterday on a flight of the Hungarian Air Force via Uzbekistan, confirmed the Foreign Office in Vienna on APA request and thanked Hungary for the requested help. Szijjarto also indicated tensions with the US troops controlling the airport. They should also let people onto the site who Hungarians want to evacuate. There had been complaints from a number of governments before.
With US support, French special forces have brought 260 EU Commission employees in Kabul to the airport premises there. They waited in the area of the French embassy moved to the airport for their departure.
Gun battle at the airport claims one dead
The location at the airport is considered difficult. With the permission of the Taliban, the US troops had initially expanded the security area around the airport. The area around the airport is controlled by the Taliban. On the edge of the site, there was a firefight between Afghan security forces and unknown attackers, the German Federal Armed Forces confirmed. An Afghan security force was killed and three injured. In the further course of the battle, forces from the USA and Germany were also involved. All soldiers of the Bundeswehr are uninjured.
According to a spokesman, the Taliban are said to have captured three districts in northern Afghanistan that had fallen under the control of local militias. This concerns the districts of Badakhshan, Takhar and Andarab. The resistance there was the first sign that there is armed resistance against the Taliban’s seizure of power. The Afghan army had largely given up many regions of the country and also Kabul without a fight.
Russia announces military exercise
The Russian government announced that it would hold a military exercise with Central Asian countries. The background to this is the concern that tensions will escalate in neighboring countries after the Taliban’s victory. Russia also wants to sell weapons to Afghanistan’s neighbors. The government in Moscow announced that the device will be sold at low prices. So-called CSTO states (Collective Security Treaty Organization), i.e. former Soviet republics such as Tajikistan or Turkmenistan, could be supplied.
