EU to remain on ground in Kabul 'as long as necessary': Foreign Affairs spokesperson Stano

In a major announcement, European Commission (EU) spokesperson Peter Stano has declared that the organisation will spare no effort to evacuate the vulnerable citizens from Afghanistan. The Commission has decided to leave a skeleton staff in Kabul as support to ensure complete evacuation of asylum seekers as the US prepares to exit from the war-torn nation.

This decision comes as the US evacuation deadline looms over and the European Union (EU) nations begin withdrawing extraction aids from Afghanistan. A small EU team "will be on the ground as long as necessary in order to complete the evacuation operations," Stano said.

Citing "operational reasons" Stano refused to provide further details on the matter. "They are operating in an environment which is not exactly friendly," the spokesperson said. As per EU data, as many as 400 Afghans employed with the EU, along with their families, have already been extracted from the war-torn nation. However, he added, "there are still some people who we need and want to get out."

Meanwhile, EU has been instrumental in rescuing migrants from Kabul amidst Taliban-induced violence. On Tuesday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Layen announced a "quadruple" increase in the humanitarian support for Afghans in and around the country. As per the proposal, the EU budget was declared from over €50m to over €200m. "This humanitarian aid will come on top of Member States' contributions to help the people of Afghanistan," Commission President added.

EU continues humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

Key EU operations on medical facilities, food distribution, emergency water supply, and sanitation are mostly still running in the war-torn nation. Mentioning the need to accelerate the access of significant aids, EU Commission President said, "We need to help mostly those who are at immediate risk. And those are women, girls and children, who make up the vast majority of internally displaced people – 80% of the internally displaced people in Afghanistan are women and girls, and up to now the number runs up to around 3.7 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan."

The commission also discussed condition-based development assistance and linked it to fundamental values, human rights and women's rights. Lastly, the statement also underlined the urgent need for the Member States and the European Parliament to find an agreement on the proposed Pact on Migration and Asylum. "We need a fully functioning system in place that allows us to effectively manage our borders, to ensure solidarity between the Member States and to cooperate with countries of origin and transit," EU President concluded.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP and @Peter Stano/Twitter