Hyderabad: Amid an imminent Taliban takeover, various nations are scrambling to evacuate their embassy staff as soon as possible. Countries like the US, UK Italy and Germany are transferring their personnel to the Kabul Airport for evacuation.
A U.S. official says American diplomats in Afghanistan are being moved from the embassy in Kabul to the airport as the Taliban enter the capital. The official says military helicopters are shuttling between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain as long as possible given security conditions.
The official was not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Relocating a core group of embassy staff to the airport had been a contingency plan as the Taliban made dramatic territorial gains over the past several weeks before the final withdrawal of U.S. troops by Aug 31.
The UK Home office in a tweet also informed that they were working to evacuate British nationals from the country. The tweet said that the Home office had already resettled over 3,300 Afghan staff and their families who have worked for the UK.
Also read: Taliban enter Kabul, negotiators headed to presidential palace to prepare for "transfer" of power
British media also reported that the U.K.’s ambassador to Afghanistan is to be airlifted out of the country by Monday evening amid fears that the Taliban could seize the airport imminently.
The Foreign Office had intended for Laurie Bristow and a small team of officials to remain at the airport with other international diplomats. But the Sunday Telegraph reported said that their departure had been brought forward. The Foreign Office declined to comment.
In addition to the US and the UK, Germany and Italy have also transferred their embassy staff to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. Germany is sending military transport planes to Kabul to begin the evacuation of its embassy staff on Monday. The German news agency dpa reported on Sunday that the mission will include the evacuation of local Afghan staff working for the German embassy.
Italian media reported on Sunday that most personnel at the Italian Embassy in Kabul are being transferred to the Afghan capital’s airport in preparation for evacuation. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that staff were being transferred to the airport, as other nations were in the process of doing, but could not give numbers or timing.
Italy’s defence minister has said that 228 Afghans and their families have already been transferred to Italy, calling it a “moral duty” to protect those who had worked with Italy and who would face reprisals by the Taliban.
Also read: Russia says Taliban promised safety of embassy
The Italian agency LaPresse reported a flight carrying Italian embassy staff would depart Kabul on Sunday evening.
Moscow, on Sunday, revealed that they have no intention to evacuate their embassy in Kabul. Russia’s state news agency reported Sunday that the Taliban promised to guarantee the safety of the Russian embassy in Kabul.
(With input from agency)
