62 evacuation flights left Kabul in past 2 days

PTI, Aug 18, 2021, 8:03 PM IST

Ankara: Turkey’s defence minister says at least 62 evacuation flights were made from Kabul”s international airport in the past two days, after security was restored at the airfield.

Hulusi Akar told state-run Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that Turkish troops and other NATO soldiers were involved in the effort to restore calm. Turkish air force planes were meanwhile, evacuating Turkish citizens from Afghanistan, he said.

Akar also said Turkey was engaged in talks with the United States, other NATO allies as well as other nations over Ankara”s proposal for Turkish troops to continue protecting and operating the airfield.

“We have stated that we are considering continuing our work if the necessary conditions are met,” Akar was quoted as saying. He did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, the first military cargo plane sent by Spain to Kabul has left the airport, but Spain”s defense ministry is not yet giving any more details on how many people are on board or who they are.

The Dutch defense ministry says that a C-17 military transport plane has flown out of Kabul carrying around 35 people with Dutch, Belgian, German and British passports. The plane is headed for Tbilisi in Georgia.