Full list of countries that have evacuated their citizens and closed their embassies in Kabul so far has emerged.
Newsonline understands that given the escalating crisis in Afghanistan, many countries have started evacuating their citizens and closing their embassies. Here’s what we know so far:
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Finland: The embassy in Kabul will be closed until further notice, and the country is evacuating its diplomatic staff from Afghanistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement published on its website on Monday.
United Kingdom: The first flight from Kabul — since it fell to the Taliban — has arrived in the UK, the country’s Ministry of Defense tweeted on Monday. British nationals and embassy staff were on board.
Australia: About 250 Australian military personnel will be deployed to Afghanistan “later this week” to evacuate 130 nationals working in Afghanistan along with their families and visa holders. Two C-17A Globemaster airplanes and one KC-30A airplane be involved in the operation, according to a Monday statement from the Australian Defense Department.
Australia closed its Kabul embassy in May. In July, it said all Australian troops had left Afghanistan.
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France: French nationals and diplomats, “who are willing and able to get themselves to the Kabul airport,” will be airlifted to a base in the United Arab Emirates by Monday evening, France’s defense minister Florence Parly said Monday.
South Korea: The embassy is temporarily closed and most of its staff were evacuated from Afghanistan to other nearby countries, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.
South Korea’s ambassador and a few embassy staff members are still in Afghanistan, as is one South Korean civilian, the ministry said. Seoul is coordinating with its allies, including the US, to evacuate one remaining civilian.
New Zealand: The country will begin evacuating its citizens as well as Afghan nationals, who worked alongside the New Zealand Defense Force, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday, adding that her government is aware of 53 New Zealanders in Afghanistan and 37 other individuals who worked alongside the NZDF.
Saudi Arabia: All members of its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan have been evacuated, and they have arrived home safely, according to Saudi state-run SPA news on Sunday.
Sweden: All embassy staff will be evacuated by no later than Monday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde said Sunday.
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Meanwhile, China has evacuated the majority of its citizens in advance but continues to keep its embassy operational, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. The Chinese embassy has informed “different factions” in Afghanistan “to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, Chinese institutions, and Chinese interests,” and has not received any reports on the casualties of Chinese citizens in the country, it said in a separate statement on Sunday.
