PESHAWAR: The Taliban has said no more Afghan nationals will be allowed to leave the country amid the chaos at the Kabul airport and pressure on the United States to complete the withdrawal process by 31 August.
Addressing a news conference, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban will not allow Washington to extend the withdrawal process and warned of consequences of any unilateral step was taken in this regard. Mujahid called on the United States not to encourage more skilled Afghans to leave as they need experienced people to run Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the United States President Joe Biden said that he is confident that the process of evacuating American citizens and workers from Afghanistan will be completed by the end of August. Biden said in a televised address that the number of flights from Kabul had increased and that all those eligible will be deported in the remaining days. But Biden asked for Taliban’s co-operation to complete the process on time. The US president said that he has instructed his defense ministry for plans for any emergency situation.
“For now, it is scheduled to complete the process by August 31. The day-to-day operations could pose a threat to our forces. We want the Taliban to continue their cooperation and allow the people we want to evacuate and do not create any disruption to the operations.”
President Biden’s announcement comes after leaders of G7 leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, failed to persuade the US president to extend the withdrawal deadline at Kabul airport. Johnson emphasized at the G7 summit that the Taliban should ensure the safety of those who want to leave after the deadline.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom called for increased support for the protection of human rights in Afghanistan. He stressed on his allies to stand by Afghans and increase humanitarian assistance to refugees and asylum seekers. “The Taliban will be judged by their actions rather than their rhetoric,” Johnson said, stressing the need to protect human rights and the achievements of the past two decades in Afghanistan.”
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the meeting discussed the terms in dealing with the Taliban. She said there will be strict conditions for recognising the Taliban, which has not yet been discussed. On the acceptance of Afghan refugees, she said educated women and girls, journalists, human rights workers, teachers, judges and prosecutors will be given priority. But after the Taliban said they will not allow the evacuation of Afghans from Kabul, many Afghans who are on the Western priority list may not be able to leave before August 31.