Sunday 29th August 2021
Afghanistan live ticker
+++ 06:08 US troops in the last evacuation phase +++
The US troops are in the final phase of evacuations. Just over a thousand civilians are currently waiting at Kabul airport to be flown out, says a Western security officer. The crowd at the airport gates thinned after the warning of another attack by militant extremists.
+++ 05:35 Macron wants to create a “safe zone” in Kabul +++
France and Great Britain want to work with the United Nations to create a “safe zone” in the Afghan capital Kabul so that humanitarian operations can continue. French President Emmanuel Macron announced this in an interview with the Sunday newspaper “Journal du Dimanche”. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council – France, Great Britain, the USA, Russia and China – are discussing the situation in Afghanistan today. According to Macron, London and Paris are working on a draft resolution aimed at defining a protected zone “under the control of the UN in Kabul”. This could create a UN framework for emergencies, clarify responsibilities and “allow the international community to maintain pressure on the Taliban,” said Macron.
+++ 04:49 EU Commission calls for specific offers for the admission of refugees +++
Before the planned special meeting of EU interior ministers on Tuesday, the European Commission calls on the EU member states to make specific offers for the reception of refugees. “We expect commitments from the member states for the coming year by mid-September. It’s about people from different regions, but of course Afghanistan will now also be a particular focus,” said the EU Commission’s spokesman for domestic and migration policy. Christian Wigand, the “Welt am Sonntag”. The goal is safe and legal ways for particularly vulnerable people to receive protection in Europe. It is about clearly defined groups of people who are particularly at risk, such as journalists or human rights activists, especially women and girls.
+++ 04:12 Maas travels to neighboring Afghan countries, Qatar and Turkey for talks +++
Following the end of the Bundeswehr rescue operation for German citizens and Afghan local staff from Kabul, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is setting out on a multi-day trip to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Qatar and Turkey this Sunday. In the countries he will hold talks “so that Afghans can get to our embassies quickly and safely from the border,” said Maas on Twitter.
+++ 03:09 US troops evacuate 2000 more people +++
The US and allies evacuated another 2,000 people from Afghanistan within twelve hours. This is announced by an employee of the American government.
+++ 02:10 Söder: EU mission to protect evacuations +++
The CSU chairman Markus Söder would like to use the Bundeswehr as part of an EU mission to protect the airport in Kabul in order to resume evacuation flights. “The goal for Afghanistan could be to establish its own European protection zone at the airport in Kabul in the near future,” said Söder of “Bild am Sonntag”. He called for immediate negotiations on this. Europe must finally coordinate itself consistently militarily. This requires a European Security Council and a powerful military unit to protect German and European citizens in emergencies.
+++ 00:57 Seehofer: tighten border controls in the case of large escape movements +++
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer wants to tighten border controls in the event of large new refugee movements from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. “Not everyone who wants to come to our country is allowed to enter,” says the CSU politician, according to a preliminary report by “Bild am Sonntag”. Watch the refugee movements from these countries very closely. The security authorities noticed seven Afghans during controls after the Bundeswehr’s evacuation flights from Kabul in Germany. Three had forged documents with them, and four others were criminals who had already been deported to Afghanistan.
+++ 00:39 Great Britain also ends evacuation operation +++
After the Bundeswehr and other Western allies, Great Britain has also withdrawn its last armed forces from Afghanistan. The British Ministry of Defense announced on Twitter that the last flight with soldiers had left Kabul. Thanks go to all those who, under tremendous pressure and dire conditions, have served so valiantly to safely evacuate the most vulnerable civilians. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson publicly regretted the timing of the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan yesterday. “The timing is definitely not what this country would have chosen.” Johnson had advocated an extension of the Western evacuation mission before the G7 special summit this week with US President Joe Biden – which, however, he refused.
+++ 23:26 Last British military aviator leaves Kabul +++
The last British aviator with military personnel has left Kabul. This is announced by the Ministry of Defense in London. Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the soldiers involved in the evacuation mission and said the British rescue flights had brought more than 15,000 people to safety in less than two weeks. At the same time, he thanked the thousands of soldiers who served in Afghanistan over the past two decades.
You can read all previous developments here.
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