The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, demanded yesterday in a telematic intervention at the United Nations Human Rights Council that this body should set in motion all possible mechanisms to put an end to the “alarming” human rights violations that have been taking place in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country.
In his speech at the special session on Afghanistan, which Albares broadcast on Twitter, he stressed that “Spain continues to be committed to the Afghan people and especially to women”.
“Respect for human rights is an indispensable element for a political, inclusive and lasting solution in the country,” said the minister, who added: “We cannot see a serious setback in civil and political rights, economic rights or the participation of women in public life, which would irrevocably hinder the development of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, work continued yesterday to bring Afghans and their families who have collaborated with the armed forces and Spanish aid workers back to Spain.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, reported, in an appearance alongside the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, that Spanish army troops are leaving the vicinity of Kabul airport to pick up Afghan collaborators who arrive in the vicinity, but are unable to access the entrances due to the controls exercised by the Taliban.
López Calderón pointed out the difficulty that many collaborators have in reaching the Afghan capital, as they come from Baghdad and have to pass through Herat to reach Kabul.
The minister added that the Spanish soldiers “are physically grabbing people so that they can get over the fence and enter”. “They identify themselves in groups and call Spain, Spain so that our soldiers can go and pick them up, these are very dramatic situations”, explained Robles.
A total of 130 Spanish soldiers are taking part in the evacuation operation, 50 of whom are at Kabul airport, and the rest in Dubai, from where the Air Force planes are leaving to pick up the Afghans who collaborated with Spain.
Yesterday two new flights arrived in Torrejón from Dubai, the first with 290 people and the second with 130 more.
Of all the people evacuated from Afghanistan by Spain, 613 have already formalised their request for asylum in the country, as the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, explained on Tuesday.
