EU completes evacuation of its Afghanistan delegation

Brussels, Aug 24 (EFE).- The European Union on Tuesday said it had evacuated all of its personnel and their families from Afghanistan although it is keeping some of its staff at Kabul airport to help US and allied troops in evacuation operations.

Chief spokesman for the EU Commission Eric Mamer said all staff and their families had been evacuated, but did not specify how many people had left Afghanistan.

The EU delegation in Afghanistan accounts for some 400 people, according to EU sources, who said it planned to evacuate all EU citizens as well as Afghan nationals who collaborated with the delegation in the country.

The Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15 after entering the capital and seizing almost all of the country’s provinces.

US troops and other allied countries have since accelerated the evacuation of their nationals and Afghan citizens who have collaborated with them or who are at risk.

The departure of US troops, who were deployed in Afghanistan in 2001, is scheduled for August 31, but several allied countries have asked the US to extend the evacuation operation beyond the date, an option rejected by the Taliban. EFE

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