The President of the Republic announced this Saturday that he wanted to be able to carry out new evacuations of Afghans in the short-medium-long term, despite the end of the airlift put in place by France in recent days. 2,834 people were also evacuated from Kabul to Paris.
“We were able to protect all the personnel of our embassy and the nationals” in Afghanistan, welcomed Emmanuel Macron this Saturday since his trip to Iraq, a few hours after the end of the French evacuations from Kabul.
According to figures developed by the Head of State, since “August 17”, two days after the Taliban took power, “2,834” people have been evacuated by France from Kabul. Among them are “142 French, 17 Europeans and more than 2,600 Afghans”. In total, France carried out “about fifteen flights” via the United Arab Emirates.
“This work was made possible thanks to the commitment of our diplomatic teams (…) and obviously the teams present in Kabul, our soldiers and our police officers”, greeted the President of the Republic, during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, following a regional summit devoted to the fight against terrorism.
Towards other “evacuations” in the months to come?
The latter also indicated that “discussions” were currently underway with the Taliban, although they are “fragile and provisional”, to hope to carry out other “targeted evacuations” to “protect and repatriate Afghans and Afghans. “at risk in the coming months.
France is counting on the help of Qatar which, thanks to its good relations with the Taliban, “has the possibility of arranging airlift operations or reopening of certain airlines”, specified Emmanuel Macron, who has elsewhere took advantage of the Baghdad summit for an aside with the Emir of Qatar on this subject.
“It is a condition for us of any form of political commitment in the long term, for France as for our allies, that the Taliban respect human rights”, he insisted.
Since August 15, according to Pentagon figures this Saturday, 117,000 people have fled Afghanistan by plane.
Source: bfmtv