France's defence minister says its last evacuations out of Afghanistan took place late on Friday evening. Since the Taliban took over the country on 1
France’s defence minister says its last evacuations out of Afghanistan took place late on Friday evening. Since the Taliban took over the country on 15 August, nearly 3,000 people, mostly of Afghan citizens, and other nationals have been airlifted by the French military out of the country via Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, the US military has carried out a drone strike against an Islamic State target.
“Operation Apagan, which began on 15 August under the orders of the President of the Republic has ended tonight,” defence minister Florence Parly said via social media on Friday evening.
“In less than two weeks, the French military has flown nearly 3,000 people to safety, including 2,600 Afghan citizens who have been taken to France,” she wrote.
Hundreds of Afghan citizens who had previously worked for France or with human rights groups were evacuated due to threats from the Taliban movement.
France’s other Western allies, including Britain, Italy and Spain, also announced an end to their airlifts on Friday, following other nations such as Canada and Australia earlier in the week.
About 109,000 people have been flown out of Afghanistan since 14 August, the day before the Taliban swept to power, according to the US government.
The “air bridge” which allowed the French military to transport people to the air base in Abu Dhabi before then connecting to France has now been suspended.
“Security conditions are no longer favourable at Kabul airport,” due to the pullout of American troops planned for 31 August, according to a statement from Parly and the foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Remaining French military personnel also left Kabul on Friday night, according to the defence ministry, which had sent a contingent of hundred soldiers to the city to assist with the evacuations.
Recognition for efforts
In total, the French army completed 26 flight rotations between Kabul and the airbase in Abu Dhabi, and a further 16 flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris.
“The team from the French embassy in Kabul have also been taken to Abu Dhabi,” the statement said, going on to thank all “diplomats, police officers and other state services” who were constantly mobilised in a bid to facilitate the evacuations.”
The French ambassador to Afghanistan, David Martinon is continuing to manage the situation from Paris, the President’s office said on Thursday.
French officials have said that negotiations with Taliban representatives, which got underway on Thursday, will continue.
France has called for setting up humanitarian operations to assist the thousands of Afghan nationals who failed to get a flight out to leave by other means.
Some 5,000 US troops are still at Kabul’s airport, helping to evacuate American citizens, at-risk Afghans and other nationalities before President Joe Biden’s Tuesday deadline.
Drone attack
Meanwhile, the United States has announced that it carried out an attack against an Islamic State target using a drone.
The IS group in Afghanistan, known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the suicide bombs at Kabul airport on Thursday which killed 85 people, including 13 US military personnel.
On Thursday, Biden vowed that the United States would hunt down those responsible for the attack, saying he had ordered the Pentagon to come up with plans to strike at the perpetrators.
US Central Command said the strike took place in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul and bordering Pakistan on Friday.
“Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties,” a US military statement said.
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