Chaos grows, evacuations speed up

Foreign powers keep a close watch on Afghanistan as they speed up evacuations amid rising instability across the country

KABUL/GENEVA: Foreign powers sought to increase evacuations from Afghanistan on Friday after reports of growing chaos across the country and Taliban reprisals, including against people who had worked with US-led forces or the previous Western-backed government.

Nato foreign ministers on Friday committed to focus on ensuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of their citizens and of Afghans deemed at risk after the country’s takeover by the Taliban. They also insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not become a centre for terrorism.

“Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistan’s international obligations… and ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists,” a statement from the alliance said.

Thousand of people still thronged the airport where guntoting Taliban members urged people without travel documents to go home. Some have fled gunfire in recent days. “As of today, those who may be in danger have no clear way out,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said, urging neighbouring countries to keep borders open.

The country’s new rulers are not stopping people leaving the country at Kabul airport, a Taliban official said on Friday. “We are only pushing away those who have no legal papers to travel, but who are adding to the chaos at Kabul airport gate,” he told Reuters.

The speed with which the Islamist group conquered Afghanistan as foreign troops were withdrawing surprised even their own leaders and left power vacuums. The Taliban called for unity ahead of Friday prayers, asking imams to persuade people not to leave. Residents in Kabul and four other major cities said prayers appeared to have passed off without incident, though attendance was low.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday Britain would work with the Taliban if needed after the militants’ capture of Afghanistan. “What I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts to find a solution for Afghanistan, working with the Taliban, of course if necessary, will go on,” Johnson told reporters.

In the US, officials said they were “laser-focused” on “the potential for a terrorist attack” by a group such as Islamic State during the evacuation, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with NBC News.

Germany said on Friday it was sending helicopters to help, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on other countries to not impose their own values on Afghanistan and that the reality was that the Taliban had taken control of the country.

AFP Crowds gather on a roadside (left) near the military section of the airport in Kabul on Friday, hoping to leave the country; a US soldier shoots in the air while standing guard behind barbed wire.