PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2021) The arrival of a Dutch military aircraft to evacuate staffers and Afghan translators from Kabul has been delayed due to chaos at the airport, the country's defense ministry said on Monday.
"The military plane for evacuation from Kabul has been delayed until further notice. This has to do with the conditions at Kabul Airport," the ministry tweeted.
The national broadcaster NOS reported that the chaos at the airport forced the plane to deviate from its route, but it is still expected to land in Kabul within 24 hours. At the same time, the ministry further clarified that the plane did not get the permission to land since the priority is currently given to incoming reinforcements for airport security.
Hundreds of people, including Dutch embassy staff and Afghan translators with their families, are awaiting the flight from Afghanistan to the Netherlands.
One of the two planes of the German Bundeswehr, also sent to Kabul for evacuations, was forced to refuel in Uzbekistan as there is no permission to land in the Afghan capital yet, according to German Bild tabloid. The plane had to reportedly circle over Kabul due to the presence of people on the landing strip.
A Czech evacuation jet is, meanwhile, awaiting in Baku to get green light to land in Kabul
"At the moment, Airbus A319 is ready for the evacuation mission and is waiting at the airport of Baku for the permission to land in Kabul. The next such missions will continue only given conditions for safe arrivals and departures [from Kabul]," Lubomir Metnar, the defense minister, tweeted.
On early Monday, the first group of 46 people was flown out of Kabul to Prague, including Czech diplomats, Afghan personnel, interpreters and their families.
Following the seizure of Kabul by the Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) on Sunday and the resignation of President Ashraf Ghani, thousands of Afghans flocked to the airport hoping to flee the homeland aboard foreign evacuation planes. A number of countries have also begun evacuating their diplomatic missions from the country.
