Officially, the meeting of foreign ministers, convened this Friday, August 20 within the framework of NATO, aimed to alleviate the immediate consequences of the Afghan crisis, that is to coordinate the efforts to evacuate in extremis the nationals of the allied forces. and their Afghan collaborators. But the challenge was also to close ranks and display the unity of the Transatlantic Alliance, while several European states, including Germany and the United Kingdom, criticized the chaotic withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan, quickly followed by the return to power of the Taliban, and thus pointed out the failure of the intervention of the West in this country, which was nevertheless one of the most important missions of NATO.
” The situation remains very difficult and unpredictable, noted Jens Stoltenberg, the organisation’s general secretary, after the meeting, which was held by videoconference. The paradox is that we have more planes than passengers “, he noted, noting the difficulties encountered by those eligible for departure to reach Kabul airport. Thursday, a plane dispatched by Romania left with only one passenger on board. Sixteen Belgians were evacuated to Pakistan on Friday, but a second Belgian military flight returned empty to Islamabad.
The Taliban have barricaded the area around the airport and are violently preventing the Afghans from accessing it. The confusion would be such that once past the roadblock of Islamist fighters, some Afghans are struggling to get through the airport gates, guarded by American soldiers. “We have to find the right balance between securing the airport and allowing those who have to leave to have access to it. “, explains a diplomatic source. Time is running out, as no one knows when the Taliban will start to get impatient with the presence of foreign forces.
“This failure will weigh heavily”
The 30 NATO members pledged to maintain coordination on Friday ” as long as evacuation operations continue “. Will the United States keep its troops there beyond the August 31 deadline? “Several allies have raised the question”, noted Mr Stoltenberg. President Joe Biden reiterates that the United States, which provides airport security with the United Kingdom and Turkey, will not leave Kabul as long as there are Americans and Afghan collaborators to evacuate. But what about nationals of other countries and their Afghan employees?
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