Spain evacuates 84 Afghan refugees in second phase, flight lands in Madrid

On Monday, a plane carrying 84 Afghan migrants landed at a military site outside Madrid, Spain, in the second phase of the evacuation. According to Sputnik, the plane carried Afghans who worked with the Spanish government in Afghanistan. The aeroplane had taken off from Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. The Spanish Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that it is working on a new evacuation mission with the Foreign Ministry. Defense Minister Margarita Robles stated that an operation to extract people who worked for Spain is starting in the coming hours or days. She further claimed that Spain does not abandon anyone. According to the Spanish news agency, EFE, the objective was to evacuate 200 individuals via Pakistan. In August, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that his country would not lose interest in the Afghans who had remained in the country but wished to depart, according to Dawn.

Last month, Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares travelled to Pakistan and Qatar to seek their assistance in rescuing more Afghan workers who were not included in the initial airlifts from Kabul. In the frenzied days following the Taliban takeover in August, Spain has successfully evacuated 2,200 people from Afghanistan, both Spaniards and Afghans. The evacuation, however, had to come to a halt once the last American troops guarding the Afghan capital's airport had left. With the latest development, the number of evacuated people has risen to 2,300.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, encouraged EU member states to take in a minimum of 10,000 to 20,000 extra Afghan migrants on Friday. According to Dawn, he said that to welcome the Afghans, they have to evacuate them. He also said that they are getting down to it, but it's not easy. The EU has stated that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' demand to take in 42,500 Afghan refugees over the next five years can be met, albeit member states must make the final decision.

Spain and Afghanistan relations

Since their bilateral diplomatic relations were established in 1957, Afghanistan and Spain have had warm relations. Spain's government and people have long been at Afghanistan's side. Spain has contributed to Afghanistan's security, stability, peace and progress, particularly in the last 18 years.

(Inputs from ANI/ AP News)

Image: AP