Taliban agree to let Afghans leave after August 31: German Envoy
Aug 25, 2021
Kabul [Afghanistan], August 25 : Germany on Wednesday announced that it has received assurance from the Taliban that Afghan nationals will be allowed to leave the country even after the withdrawal deadline on August 31.
This comes despite the Taliban's statement warning the US against encouraging the Afghan elite to leave the country amid large scale US evacuating operations.
German envoy to Afghanistan Potzel Markus said that Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who is the deputy director of the Taliban's political office has assured him that Afghans with legal documents will be allowed to travel on commercial flights after August 31.
"Met Deputy Director TPO Sher Abbas Stanekzai and his team for a comprehensive discussion in Doha yesterday. We talked about the urgent need for a functioning airport in Kabul as a prerequisite for diplomatic & NGO presence in AFG," envoy Markus tweeted.
"Director Stanekzai assured me that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights after 31 August," he said in a subsequent tweet.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said that G7 leaders agreed to help the Afghan people amid the current situation in the war-torn country and the need to secure the Kabul airport as long as necessary to complete the evacuation operations.
"We all agreed that it is our moral duty to help the Afghan people and to provide as much support as possible as conditions allow," Leyen said at a press conference following a meeting of G7 leaders.
Last week, the Taliban entered Kabul, causing the civilian government to collapse. As a result, many countries have started evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from the beleaguered nation due to the precarious security situation, and some have pledged to take in a number of Afghan asylum seekers.
