23:24 20/08/2021
The United States is expected to announce that several European and Middle Eastern countries have agreed to temporarily house people evacuated from Kabul. The news was disclosed to Reuters on Friday by US officials and comes as the US base in Qatar has reached its hosting capacity.
The United States is desperately trying to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan as reports of Taliban retaliation against Afghans who worked with US-led forces have mounted. This has forced foreign powers to accelerate evacuation efforts.
Meanwhile, American officials announced that for several hours on Friday, flights from Kabul to Qatar were not carried out, due to the overflow of the Al Udeid Air Base, where the American Central Command is located, which already houses 8,000 Afghan evacuees.
A senior administration official said evacuations have already been ordered to resume.
Another official said it is likely that some planes will continue to land in Doha, leaving some of the evacuees there and then continuing on to other countries. Reuters says it is unclear when such an announcement will be made officially.
According to NATO, more than 18,000 people have been evacuated since Taliban militants took over the country's capital, Kabul.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, US officials said the expected State Department announcement could include more destinations like Bahrain and that Europe was chosen because it was logistically easier to transport evacuees to other parts of the world. .
One of the officials said the flights are likely to be operated from Kabul to countries in western and southern Europe.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement that Berlin had agreed with Washington to temporarily house people at the Ramstein air base. It remains unclear which other European countries are involved in this process.
The US State Department declined to comment, but said it is "grateful to all partners who are playing a role in these efforts."
Washington is speeding up efforts to get people out ahead of the August 31 deadline that was supposed to be the deadline for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that U.S. troops securing the evacuations could stay longer if necessary.
One of the main obstacles for people who want to leave Afghanistan is the dangerous journey to Kabul airport. The United States has so far been unable to ensure safe passage for American or other citizens, but has said it has received assurances from the Taliban that they will not block people who want to go to the airport.
But reports from the field suggest otherwise. Thousands of Afghans carrying children and documents continue to fill the airport as Taliban fighters with guns are ordering those without travel documents to return home. In and around the airport, 12 people have been killed since Sunday, according to NATO and Taliban officials.
People with knowledge of the situation at the Al Udeid base in Qatar reported worsening conditions. One source said US officials were increasingly concerned about logistical problems there because "they currently don't have enough food" to host new influxes of people./VOA
Source of information @TvKlan: Read more at: www.botasot.al
