Taliban say they won’t allow Afghans to leave country, reject evacuation
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told a press conference Tuesday that while foreign nationals could continue traveling to the airport, the huge crowds of Afghans that have gathered there in recent days should return home and would not face reprisals from the country’s new rulers.
“The road, which goes to the airport, is blocked. Afghans cannot take that road to go to the airport, but foreign nationals are allowed to take that road to the airport,” Mujahid said.
“We are not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore and we are not happy with it either,” he added.
The doctors and academics of Afghanistan “should not leave this country, they should work in their own specialist areas,” Mujahid added. “They should not go to other countries, to those Western countries.”
Many of those fleeing the country since the Taliban took over have been educated people, especially women. The last time the Taliban ruled, women were banned from working and forbidden to attend schools and universities.
Mujahid also gave reassurances that foreign embassies and aid agencies would remain open.
But experts remain dubious of such pledges amid reports of human rights abuses and concerns that the situation will deteriorate further once most of the international community leaves the country.
G7 leaders were meeting Tuesday in the first such international forum since the Taliban toppled the internationally-backed Afghan government more than a week ago.
They have called on the Taliban to guarantee safe passage for all those wishing to leave Afghanistan after August 31, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday, describing this as the G7’s “number one condition” for the Taliban.
“The number one condition we are setting as G7 is that they’ve got to guarantee right the way through — through August 31 and beyond — safe passage for those who want to come out,” Johnson said after the virtual meeting of G7 leaders.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday that additional time beyond the August 31 deadline is necessary for evacuations.
A Elysee spokesperson added on Tuesday that the length of France’s military evacuation operation depends entirely on when the United States decides to pull its soldiers out of Kabul’s airport.
“We are in the hands of the United States,” the spokesperson said during a press briefing. “What we are telling the Americans is naturally to give us the maximum time to pursue the operations.”
But Biden decided to maintain the August 31, mindful of the security risks in remaining in Afghanistan longer, the US official said. The President has asked for contingency plans in case he determines at a later date the US needs to remain in the country for longer.
The decision will be met with dismay by allies who fear there won’t be enough time to get their citizens, along with Afghans who assisted in the war effort, out of the country by the end of the month.
Despite the pressure on Biden, NATO will also pull its footprint from Afghanistan when the US withdraws, according to a diplomat familiar with the matter.
The diplomat said people on the…
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