The Diplomat
Almost a year after the evacuation from Kabul, 294 Afghan refugees who were unable to leave the country after the Taliban took over the capital arrived last night at Torrejón air base (Madrid) from Islamabad on a flight chartered by the Spanish government.
On arrival at the air base, the refugees were met on the tarmac by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. Afterwards, various NGOs took charge of their transfer to different reception centres.
The Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs led an evacuation mission last year which, from Kabul airport, managed to get out of the country more than 2,000 Afghans who had collaborated with the Spanish authorities over the last few years and their families.
These three hundred who arrived yesterday, accompanied by their families, are collaborators of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs together with their families, as reported by The Diplomat, who had managed to reach Pakistan after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
The operation was officially concluded on 27 August after 17 Air Force A400M rotations (Dubai-Kabul-Dubai), ten Air Europa flights (Dubai-Torrejon) and a first A400M flight (Dubai-Torrejon).
Just the day before, a double bombing took place in the vicinity of Kabul airport, leaving at least 60 Afghan civilians and 13 US military personnel dead.
Once this mission was over, the Spanish authorities continued with efforts to transfer more people who managed to leave Afghanistan by land and were able to be picked up in Pakistan.
