Afghanistan

Slow Kabul evacuation aims to avert clashes with Taliban, civilians at airport – NATO official

Reuters

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Slow Kabul evacuation aims to avert clashes with Taliban, civilians at airport – NATO official

A Taliban member sits on an armored vehicle outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021.

Reuters

The Taliban have disowned responsibility for the disorder at the airpor, saying the West could have had a better plan to evacuate

About 12,000 foreigners and Afghans working for embassies and international aid groups have been evacuated from Afghanistan since Taliban insurgents entered the capital, Kabul, a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) official said on Friday, August 20.

“The evacuation process is slow, as it is risky, for we don’t want any form of clashes with Taliban members or civilians outside the airport,” the official, who sought anonymity, told Reuters.

Amid chaos and reports of Taliban violence, Western nations have struggled to ramp up the pace of evacuations since the Islamist movement’s lightning takeover just a week ago.

The Taliban have disowned responsibility for the disorder at the airport, besieged by thousands desperate to flee, saying the West could have had a better plan to evacuate.

At least 12 people have been killed in and around the airport since Sunday, NATO and Taliban officials have said, as gun-toting Taliban around it urged those without travel documents to go home.

Must Read

‘They left us behind’: Expat exodus robs Afghans of income

‘They left us behind’: Expat exodus robs Afghans of income

 – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!