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Switzerland postpones evacuation plans as security at Kabul airport worsens

Switzerland postpones evacuation plans as security at Kabul airport worsens

Taliban authorities to resume issuing passports amid humanitarian crisis

In the wake of worsening security situation at Kabul airport, Switzerland has decided to postpone a charter flight to Uzbekistan aimed at helping the evacuation effort from Afghanistan.

On Friday, Switzerland said it had organised a charter flight to Uzbekistan to expedite the evacuation of people from Afghanistan.

“The security situation around Kabul airport has worsened significantly in the last hours. A large number of people in front of the airport and sometimes violent confrontations are hindering access to the airport in Kabul,” Reuters quoted the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) as saying.

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“Only a small number of people can currently be flown from Kabul to Tashkent. Since there is no need for evacuations from Tashkent at the moment, the FDFA has postponed the charter flight to the capital of Uzbekistan that was scheduled for today," it further said.

The US government has also issued an advisory asking its citizens in Afghanistan to refrain from travelling to Kabul airport citing “personal security threats.”

“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising US citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so,” the advisory said.

Meanwhile, France said it has evacuated over 570 people, including 407 Afghan citizens, from Kabul on its military aircraft since Monday.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday that about 13,000 people have been evacuated on US military aircraft since August 14.