The evacuation of Kabul will be completed by France on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
Image credit: Irish Examiner
By Friday evening, Prime Minister Jean Castex declared, France would have completed its operation to evacuate French nationals and Afghans in danger from Taliban-controlled Kabul.
“I will not be able to conduct evacuations from Kabul airport after this date,” Castex told RTL radio on Thursday.
According to a government source, the deadline was placed on France by the United States’ plan to withdraw security personnel from the airport by August 31.
The insider went on to indicate that France would do everything it could to keep its operation running for as long as possible, adding that the evacuation of civilians would be completed several hours before the mission’s formal completion, when the military and remaining embassy staff would depart.
The final evacuation of people from Kabul by France is expected to take place late Thursday or early Friday morning, according to the French foreign ministry.
Since the Taliban captured Kabul on August 15, 2,500 individuals have been evacuated by France, according to Castex. The evacuees were flown to a French facility in the United Arab Emirates by military aircraft before being transported to France.
“Afghans who have participated, in one way or another, in their support for the (French) soldiers, as well as their families, artists and journalists,” he said.
His remarks came as Britain issued a threat of a terror assault on the airport, and the Netherlands said that evacuation aircraft would be halted.