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AFGHANISTAN

Swedish forces to remain in Afghanistan

Swedish troops are set to extend their stay in Afghanistan to the end of 2010, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Published: 22 October 2009 11:06 CEST
Updated: 22 October 2009 13:55 CEST

“Only with our continued presence can we take long-term action to help phase out military involvement in Afghanistan,” Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said in a statement.

He said Sweden “wants to help to ensure that responsibility for the country’s development can be transferred to the Afghan authorities in due course.”

There are close to 500 Swedish troops in Afghanistan, including teams involved in training the Afghan army.

In announcing the decision, the government cited the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, where Swedish troops have been involved in several fire fights in recent weeks.

In addition to extending military support in Afghanistan, Sweden also plans to increase development assistance to the country from the current 300 million kronor up to 500 million kronor within the next few years.

“Our combined efforts are different components of a policy for peace, democracy and development in Afghanistan and the surrounding region,” said Bildt.

“Extending Sweden’s military presence is currently an unavoidable part of this approach.”

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AFGHANISTAN

Spain starts evacuating Afghan employees via Pakistan

Spain was on Monday evacuating via Pakistan Afghan helpers left behind when western forces quit Kabul, a government source confirmed on condition of anonymity.

Published: 11 October 2021 15:58 CEST
A group of Afghan nationals stand on the tarmac after disembarking from the last Spanish evacuation flight at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base near Madrid in August. Photo: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)
A group of Afghan nationals stand on the tarmac after disembarking from the last Spanish evacuation flight at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base near Madrid in August. Photo: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)

The government source declined to give any details of the move, citing security concerns.

But Spanish media, including daily El País and National Radio, reported that Madrid would bring close to 250 Afghan citizens, who had already crossed into Pakistan and would be flown out on military transport planes.

The first flight was expected to arrive on Monday evening.

Spain’s evacuations have been weeks in the making, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares visiting Pakistan and Qatar in early September to lay the groundwork.

Madrid evacuated over 2,000 people, most of them Afghans who had worked for Spain and their families, during the western withdrawal as the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August.

But the flights had to stop once the final American troops that had been protecting the Afghan capital’s airport left.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in August that Spain would not “lose interest in the Afghans who had remained” in their country but wanted to leave.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Friday urged the bloc’s member states to host a “minimum” of between 10,000 and 20,000 more Afghan refugees.

“To welcome them, we have to evacuate them, and we’re getting down to it, but it’s not easy,” he said in Madrid.

The EU has said a demand by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to take in 42,500 Afghan refugees over five years can be achieved — although any decision lies with member states.

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