NATO Chief On Kabul Collapse

Taliban overran the Afghan capital on the weekend after the Western-backed authorities collapsed.

Brussels:

NATO Secretary Normal Jens Stoltenberg stated Tuesday the alliance was shocked by the pace of the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan, however blamed Afghan leaders for the “tragedy”.

“Finally, the Afghan political management failed to face as much as the Taliban and to attain the peaceable resolution that Afghans desperately wished,” he stated.

“This failure of the Afghan management led to the tragedy we’re witnessing in the present day,” he stated, echoing US President Joe Biden, whose choice to withdraw US troops precipitated the tip of the NATO mission.

Stoltenberg informed reporters that the alliance was now working to make sure the security of NATO’s remaining 800 civilian personnel in Kabul and the town’s airport, and of its Afghan staff.

He stated that NATO member states had pledged to placed on extra evacuation flights at a gathering of senior envoys earlier Tuesday.

Taliban overran the Afghan capital on the weekend after the Western-backed authorities and its US- and NATO-trained forces collapsed.

“Nobody anticipated the pace of the collapse of the Afghan safety forces, the Afghan authorities and Afghan state constructions,” Stoltenberg stated.

Workers from Western embassies have relocated to the town’s airport, which is beneath the safety of a rear-guard of US troops deployed to cowl the allied retreat.

“NATO has been working across the clock to keep up operations on the Kabul Worldwide Airport,” Stoltenberg stated, after a gathering of senior NATO diplomats from alliance members.

“Round 800 NATO civilian personnel have remained to offer key features beneath very difficult circumstances, together with air site visitors management, gasoline and communications.”

“Let me additionally thank the army forces of NATO allies — particularly Turkey, the US and United Kingdom — for an important function in securing the airport.”

Positive aspects ‘onerous to reverse’

A NATO official stated the alliance estimates that 1,000 Afghan staff and dependants might should be airlifted out of Kabul.

Most can be taken to a 3rd nation whereas they’re processed for visas to resettle in NATO member states.

Stoltenberg stated NATO’s senior civilian consultant in Afghanistan, Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, would stay on the airport “to coordinate and facilitate the evacuation” of NATO employees and Afghan staff.

“The Taliban should respect and facilitate the protected departure all those that want to depart the airport and, as properly, roads and border crossings have to be open,” he stated.

“All Afghan males, ladies and youngsters should dwell in security and dignity.”

The NATO allies deployed a robust army power to Afghanistan within the wake of the US-led overthrow of the final Taliban authorities 20 years in the past, and had been coaching native safety forces.

However after the US, the alliance’s strongest member, determined to carry an finish to its mission the opposite members — who had already begun to attract down their forces — adopted go well with.

Stoltenberg — who confronted an emotional query from a feminine Afghan reporter — insisted, nonetheless, that the time the alliance had spent attempting to help Afghan society had not been wasted.

“A few of the positive aspects will probably be onerous to reverse — the truth that thousands and thousands of younger women and boys have gotten schooling is an achievement that’s lasting,” he stated.

“The truth that now we have extra impartial, stronger political voices in Afghanistan now, are positive aspects that aren’t simply reversed.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)