EU Countries Evacuate from Afghanistan

European nations and the EU tries to evacuate their citizens and local staff from Kabul, as NATO said it was trying to keep the airport open, Euractiv.com reports.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance “was helping keep Kabul airport open to facilitate and coordinate evacuations” after consulting with a string of member countries.

According to Euractiv.com, the European Union was left trying to find a solution for Afghan staff from its representation facing possible reprisals, and seeking to convince its 27 member states to offer them visas. “The matter is extremely urgent, we take it very seriously and continue to work hard, together with EU Member States, on implementing rapid solutions for them and ensure their safety,” an EU spokesman said.

Germany, France and the Netherlands were among countries moving diplomatic personnel from their embassy in Kabul to the airport ahead of an evacuation. “We are not going to risk our people falling into the hands of the Taliban,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Bild daily.

At Kabul airport, hundreds of Afghans waited for flights, some dragging luggage across runways in the dark, while women and children slept near security corridors, Euractiv.com reports.