It is “very probable” that France’s operations to evacuate its citizens and partners from Afghanistan will end on Thursday, French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told C News TV.
Beaune also told C News on Wednesday that a new agreement regarding migration was needed between the European Union (EU) and Britain.
U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger as they pushed to complete evacuations by an Aug. 31 deadline, with aid agencies warning of a looming humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.
Western countries rushed to complete the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan on Wednesday as the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops drew closer with no sign that the country’s new Taliban rulers might allow an extension.
In one of the biggest such airlifts ever, the United States and its allies have evacuated more than 70,000 people, including their citizens, NATO personnel, and Afghans at risk, since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban swept into the capital Kabul to bring to an end a 20-year foreign military presence.
U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger and aid agencies warned of an impending humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.
Biden said they were on pace to meet the deadline, set under an agreement struck with the Islamist group last year to end America’s longest war.
“The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said on Tuesday, adding: “Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.”
Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was growing concern about the risk of suicide bombings by Islamic State at the airport.
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the deadline for evacuating people was up to the last minute of the month.
Tens of thousands of Afghans fearing persecution have thronged Kabul’s airport since the Taliban takeover, the lucky ones securing seats on flights.
Many people milled about outside the airport – where soldiers from the United States, Britain, and other nations were trying to maintain order amid the dust and heat – on Wednesday hoping to get out.
They carried bags and suitcases stuffed with possessions, and waved documents at soldiers which might gain them entry. Some clutched young children.
“I learned from an email from London that the Americans are taking people out, that’s why I’ve come so I can go abroad,” said one man, Aizaz Ullah.
While the focus is now on those people trying to flee, the risk of starvation, disease, and persecution is rising for the rest of the population after the chaotic exodus from Kabul airport ends, aid agencies say.
“There’s a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded by COVID,” David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, told Reuters in Doha, calling for the international community to donate $200 million in food aid.
“The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million.”
The EU said this week it was planning a quadrupling in aid and was seeking coordination with the United Nations on delivery as well as safety guarantees on the ground.
The U.N. human rights chief said she had received credible reports of serious violations by the Taliban, including “summary executions” of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. The Taliban have said they will investigate any reports of atrocities.
The Taliban’s previous time in power was marked by harsh sharia law, with many political rights and basic freedoms curtailed and women severely oppressed.
It was also seen as a hub for anti-Western militants, and Washington, London, and others fear it might become so again.