On Friday, the United States government said that many countries, from Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, will allow American nationals and others evacuees from the Afghan capital, Kabul, to transit their territory as it accelerates its evacuation efforts from Afghanistan. Ned Price, the spokesman of the State Department, said the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Bahrain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Uzbekistan, and the United Kingdom already started or soon started transiting Americans.
Reuters|Asia Pacific|I.Ali|H.Pamuk|20.08.2021
U.S. says a dozen countries to let #Kabul #evacuation flights transit
Bahrain
Denmark
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Italy
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Uzbekistanwill allow Americans a.o. evacuated from Kabul to transit.. pic.twitter.com/9bdZe0m8eb
— datawrangler (@datawrangler2) August 20, 2021
Reuters initially reported that Germany and other nations in the Middle East had settled to temporarily welcome evacuees from Kabul. Moreover, the U.S. is desperately trying to evacuate many Americans and Afghans from the country as reports of Taliban retaliation against Afghans who worked with the United States-led forces increase, emphasizing foreign powers to speed up the evacuation process.
However, officials said no evacuation flights left the Afghan capital for approximately six hours on Friday because they had nowhere to go because of overcrowding at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, already sheltering around wight thousand Afghan evacuees. But those flights now restarted. According to the transatlantic alliance NATO, over eighteen thousand people left the country through evacuation flights since the Taliban insurgents captured Kabul.
Biden Government is Working to Secure Evacuation Agreement with Countries
Price stated that several flights would flee from Kabul to Qatar and then these nations. Furthermore, he added that another approximate dozen countries had also made substantial offers about the relocation of Afghan people at risk. UAE settled to host five thousand Afghan evacuees for ten days on their way to a 3rd country at the request of the U.S., according to the foreign minister of UAE.
Source: Web
A senior Biden government official said that officials are working to secure further agreements with other countries. Heiko Mass, the German Foreign Minister, stated that they agreed with Berlin to shelter evacuees temporarily at Ramstein Air Base. At the moment, it was not clear which other European nations would be available for providing shelter to evacuees. Additionally, Pentagon stated that the first evacuation flights would land in Germany later on Friday.
Washington is preparing to get Americans and Afghans out ahead of the deadline on 31st August when its forces decided to depart Afghanistan. Earlier this week, United States President Joe Biden said that American troops providing security for evacuation could stay longer if necessary. So far, the U.S. has not been able to ensure safe passage to Americans and others, although it said it received assurances from the Taliban insurgents that they won’t stop people from getting there.
According to some reports, several Afghan people having legal documentation, children, and some belongings still crowded the Kabul airport, where Taliban fighters ordered those Afghans without travel papers to go home. Taliban and NATO officials said that about twelve people were killed in and around the airport since last Sunday. According to a source, United States officials have concerns about approaching logistical problems because they currently do not have enough food for more arriving people.
Read Also: The US Faces Difficulties to Accelerate Kabul Airlift amid Armed Taliban
