Spain concludes the evacuation of Spaniards in Afghanistan

USPA NEWS - Spain concluded this Friday the evacuation of its nationals in Afghanistan.  The last two military planes from Kabul landed in Dubai early in the morning with 81 people on board including military personnel and Embassy personnel, in addition to four Portuguese military personnel and 85 Afghan collaborators of the international troops. Spain will not evacuate more Afghans, who are now in the hands of the United States and the United Kingdom, the only two countries that will remain in Kabul until the 31st.

Spain will finally host 4,000 Afghan refugees, who have already begun to be distributed among the 17 Spanish regions, in order to accelerate their integration and the beginning of a new life.  The rest of the refugees will be distributed among the countries of the European Union, as Spain is the gateway to the territory of the Union.  The Red Cross has taken care of the refugees, a task in which other NGOs will also collaborate.

During the ten days that the evacuation operation deployed by Spain has lasted, 1,900 people have been removed from Afghanistan, including civilians, aid workers, journalists, diplomats, soldiers and Afghan collaborators of the Spanish Army.  Five military aircraft from the 31st Wing of the Spanish Air Force and two civilian planes have been flying to evacuate the greatest number of people, in collaboration with other NATO countries.

The evacuees in the last two flights from Dubai arrive at the Torrejón air base in Madrid mid-afternoon this Friday.  According to USPA News, the decision to end the evacuation was made before the attacks on Thursday around the Kabul airport, due to "deteriorating security" and the risk that the operation ran.  This Friday, after the arrival of the two planes in Dubai, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, published a tweet in which he reaffirmed Spain's commitment to its allies and to Afghans who want to leave their country. "Spain will not leave the Afghan people alone.  We remain committed to defending human rights and freedom in the country, seeking ways to help evacuate the greatest number of people who have collaborated with Spain and the international community," said Pedro Sánchez.