3 Russian military aircraft evacuate over 380 people from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

Three Russian military transport planes took out from Kabul on Thursday, November 18, carrying 205 people from Russia, CSTO member countries, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, according to Russia's Defense Ministry, TASS reported. On Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders, three Russian Il-76 military transport planes from the Russian Aerospace Force were dispatched to Kabul yesterday morning to facilitate the evacuation of over 380 people from Afghanistan. There are military doctors on board, drinking water, blankets, and individual food rations.

The defence ministry, in a statement, said, "Three military transport aircraft, which carried humanitarian cargo to Kabul airport, completed the boarding of evacuated citizens and subsequently took off from Afghanistan. There are 205 citizens of Russia, the CSTO member states (Belarus, Armenia), Ukraine and Afghanistan aboard."

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the evacuated residents will be transferred to the Chkalovsky airbase near Moscow. On Thursday, Xinhua reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry, that Russia will remove more than 380 Russian and other residents from Afghanistan. The first Russian humanitarian assistance shipment landed in Kabul on November 18.

Three planes delivering 36 tonnes of humanitarian aid landed in Kabul, according to Taliban authorities, and the consignment was handed over to them, according to Khaama Press. Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban's Deputy Minister of Information and Culture and spokesperson, received the supplies, which included wheat, cooking oil, and blankets. According to Khaama Press, Taliban officials expressed gratitude to the Russian government and urged other countries to continue sending relief aid to the Afghan people.

India's ambassador to UNSC urges Intl. community to work together in Afghanistan

Russia wants to provide 108 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, of which the first tranche has arrived and the other two will be sent soon, reportedly. The UN Migration Agency expressed worry about the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, claiming that if quick action is not taken to solve the simultaneous humanitarian, economic, and political crises, Afghanistan could slip into severe poverty by mid-2022.

TS Tirumurti, India's ambassador to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), also asked the international community and countries on the subcontinent to work together in Afghanistan, putting partisan considerations aside. He advocated for an inclusive government in Afghanistan that fairly represents all segments of Afghan society.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP