UAE to stop evacuation from Afghanistan after US withdrawal

Khaleejtimes | Dubai

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The UAE will stop evacuation operations from Kabul from August 31 after the US withdrawal because of the worsening security situation at the airport, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said on Thursday.

Latest Intelligence reports from the UK have alerted about a 'serious and imminent terrorist attack' at the airport from where thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country after the Taliban takeover.

Armed Forces minister James Heappey said there were "very credible" reports of a "severe" threat in the capital.

The Foreign Office last night warned anyone near the airport to move away to a safe location and await further advice.

The UAE foreign ministry official said the security situation at the airport is 'compromised' and that the UAE is 'concerned'.

At a press briefing on Thursday, he said a total of 8,500 Afghan citizens are being hosted by the UAE on a temporary basis. Among the evacuees currently accommodated at the Emirates Humanitarian City, 30 per cent are children, 30 per cent are men and 40 per cent are women. The official said there were a few Covid positive cases that are isolated. Those who have sustained injuries are hospitalised and given free treatment. After landing in the UAE, one of the Afghan women also gave birth, added the official. He said the UAE is taking good care of the people and giving them housing, sanitation and medical facilities.

He said the UAE has till date helped evacuate more than 36,500 people including Afghan civilians, in coordination with the US after the Taliban regained control of the country.

Afra Al Hameli, Deputy Director of Strategic Communications at the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, tweeted on August 24 that "up to today, the UAE has facilitated the evacuation of 20,522 people from Afghanistan".

The UAE had facilitated the evacuation of nationals from the UK, US, France, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Spain and Mexico.

The official said the UAE has reached the capacity and will not be able to host more evacuees. The first batch of evacuees will fly to their destination countries in the US and Europe on Thursday, he said.