German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday that the staff of the country's embassy in Kabul would be reduced to the bare minimum due to the offensive of Taliban (a terrorist organization, banned in Russia) in a number of Afghan provinces
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2021) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday that the staff of the country's embassy in Kabul would be reduced to the bare minimum due to the offensive of Taliban (a terrorist organization, banned in Russia) in a number of Afghan provinces.
"The staff of the Embassy in Kabul will be reduced to the bare minimum necessary for the operational work. We will send to Kabul a crisis support group that will help strengthen security measures and implement the decisions made," Maas said, according to a video released by the foreign ministry.
The minister added that the embassy would proceed in its operations, but from now on visas for Afghans who cooperated with the German authorities would be issued upon their arrival to the European country, rather than in Afghanistan.
In August, Berlin will evacuate the citizens and Afghans who worked for Germany by charter flights, according to Maas.
The Taliban have ramped up military activities and seized vast territories of the north and west of Afghanistan as well as almost 20 provincial capitals recently. Thousands of people have been displaced due to the increasing violence of the Islamist movement. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have already announced evacuation of their diplomatic missions from Kabul.
