United Kingdom confident to fly out 1,500 people from Afghanistan over next two days

By Team Newsable | First Published Aug 16, 2021, 6:55 PM IST

Wallace expressed optimism that the government will be able to remove 1,000 individuals each day, including Afghan nationals who assisted British civilians.

According to British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, the government plans to transport 1,500 additional personnel out of Afghanistan over the next two days. The first flight transporting British nationals arrived in the UK on Monday, he claimed, as countries raced to evacuate ambassadors, Afghan staff, and their families from Kabul's chaotic airport.

Wallace expressed optimism that the government will be able to remove 1,000 individuals each day, including Afghan nationals who assisted British civilians. He told the media reports that work is being done to remove any bureaucratic hurdles that prevent those who pass screenings from being transported to the UK.

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The secretary further stated that the British government dispatched over 600 troops to Kabul over the weekend to assist and protect the airport and properly process, handle, and escort passengers onto our flights to get them out of Afghanistan. Wallace expressed concern that the schedule for removing Afghans and British citizens from the country by August 31 had to be reduced due to the rapidity with which the Afghan government collapsed.

Earlier, the United States Department said more than 60 countries issued a joint statement stating that Afghans and international citizens who want to leave Afghanistan must be allowed to depart. It added that airports and border crossings must remain open.

In a joint statement, the US government and countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Qatar, and the United Kingdom stated that "those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility - and accountability - for the protection of human life and property, as well as the immediate restoration of security and civil order."

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