About 16 thousand people were removed Afghanistan From Kabul airport in the last 24 hours, announced the Pentagon on Monday (23).
Deadline for Americans’ withdrawal from the country as set by the President Joe Biden, expiring on August 31, leading to a spurt in operations.
The latest evacuation puts the number of people transferred from Afghanistan to 42,000 since July, 37,000 after air operations intensified on 14 August, on the eve of the takeover of Kabul. TalibanUS Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said.
US General Staff General Hank Taylor said 61 military and civilian aircraft from different countries took off from the airport in the Afghan capital during the morning hours of Sunday and Monday. According to the general, out of 16,000 evacuations, 11,000 were carried out in military aircraft.
This includes “a few thousand” US citizens, thousands of Afghans who AmericaAs well as Afghans fearing retaliation from the Taliban for working for NGOs, media outlets and other jobs, Kirby said.
A Defense Ministry spokesman declined to give the exact number of Americans evacuated from the country.
He stressed that the aim is to withdraw all US forces from Kabul by August 31, the date set by Biden for the departure of troops from Afghanistan, despite objections from NATO allies, who fear that the airlift will be suspended prematurely. Will go month to allow the evacuation of the 5,800 US troops stationed at the airport to ensure civilian relocation operations.
Kirby has not ruled out an extension of the deadline. For the United States, “the objective is to evacuate as many people as possible as quickly as possible”, he highlighted. “The goal is to try to do as much as possible by the end of the month.”
human rights violations
While the campaign to withdraw US troops continues, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OCI) presented a draft resolution to the United Nations on Monday to investigate human rights violations in Afghanistan.
The text will be debated on Tuesday (24) at an extraordinary session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), held at the request of Pakistan, which coordinates the OCI on human rights and humanitarian issues, and Afghanistan, with the support of dozens. countries including France and the United States.
Pakistan’s representative ambassador, Khaleel Hashmi, declared during the session on Monday, “Our collective and individual objective should be to prevent the loss of innocent people, to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, and to expedite the process of reconciliation and political regulation.” Organizing meeting.
The HRC holds three ordinary sessions a year, but may decide to hold an extraordinary session if one-third of the member states so demand.
Video: Stories and accounts of chaos in Afghanistan
