Last update 13:56
The Netherlands will stop evacuating people from Afghanistan on Thursday. “This is a painful moment because it means that despite all the great efforts that have been made in the last period, the people who qualify for evacuation to the Netherlands will be left behind,” the two departing ministers Sigrid Kaag (Foreign Affairs) and Anth Bielefeld (Ministry of Defense) wrote to the House of Representatives .
According to the ministers, the evacuations must stop because the United States will need the Kabul airport in the coming days for flights with soldiers and equipment.
Kaj and Beagleville advise Afghans not to come to the airport. It would be very unsafe around the airport. Ministers are already promising to help the Dutch still in Afghanistan, the interpreters, the other local staff of the Dutch missions, and people who must fear for their lives under the new Taliban regime. It is unclear what that assistance entails.
The cabinet was heavily criticized for its labyrinthine response to the Taliban’s advance. While France began an evacuation plan months ago, only two weeks ago, Secretary of State Ankee Brookers-Knoll decided to stop deporting Afghans. On the weekend, the Taliban moved to Kabul, Bielefeld went to the movies and Kag had a fancy dress dinner.
NL has stopped evacuating from Kabul and so feel free to report more about what is going on. According to our team of volunteers, at least 15-20 people from the NL evacuation list are still being held in Kabul, including 3 with Dutch passports. The Cabinet describes it as “painful” that “some will be left behind.”
– Natalie Rayton (@Natalie_Kabul) August 26, 2021
