TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2021) Japan will send military aircraft of the Self-Defense Forces to Afghanistan to evacuate its citizens and local personnel, the country's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference in Tokyo.
"Our country is closely cooperating with the United States and other countries to help with the safe and quick evacuation of those who wish to leave Afghanistan. We will send transport aircraft of the Air Self-Defense Force C130. As soon as everything is ready we will begin the evacuation," Kato said.
Japan's top priority is the safety of its citizens and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) personnel, Kato added.
On August 17, Japan temporarily closed its embassy in Afghanistan and opened a temporary representative office in Istanbul, Turkey.
The first plane, according to the Secretary General, is expected to take off on Monday and in total, two C130 and one C-2 aircraft will be sent.
On August 15, the Taliban (a designated terrorist group by the UN and Russia) entered Kabul, prompting the US-supported civilian government to back down. Ashraf Ghani resigned as president and fled the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed that would occur if militants were allowed to storm the city. Many countries have resorted to evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan due to the precarious security situation.
