UAE has evacuated its diplomats from Afghanistan, says foreign ministry

Dubai - Western nations rushed to evacuate their citizens and local staff from Kabul

The UAE has evacuated its diplomats from Afghanistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement to Reuters on Monday.

Western nations rushed to evacuate their citizens and local staff from Kabul after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

The insurgents returned to power after the government collapsed on Sunday, as Afghan president Ashraf Ghani conceded the Taliban had won and fled the country.

As thousands of people mobbed the city’s airport trying to flee the group’s feared hardline rule, the US and 65 other countries issued a joint statement urging the Taliban to allow Afghan and foreign citizens to leave the country.

The EU was left desperately trying to find a solution for its Afghan staff facing possible reprisals, and is seeking to convince its 27 member states to offer them visas.

The US military secured Kabul’s airport on Monday as the US, Germany, France and the Netherlands transferred their staff to the site to prepare for evacuation.

• UAE