Germany to start flying embassy staff out of Kabul

BERLIN

Germany will begin to fly out its embassy staff and former Afghan helpers out of Kabul, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Sunday.

"We are doing everything we can to enable all Germans and local staff to leave the country. The first members of the German Embassy in Kabul are to be flown out of the Afghan capital later this Sunday," Maas said in a news conference.

"The evacuation flights will initially take place from Kabul to a neighboring country; from there to Germany, civil aircraft will be deployed," the foreign minister added.

An operational core team will remain in Kabul in order to be able to accompany further evacuations, he said.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has warned that this evacuation could be a "dangerous" mission.

"We are prepared for all scenarios. It is a dangerous mission that we are now sending them on," the defense minister said.

In light of the rapid advance of the Taliban, the German Embassy staff had already been taken to the airport, which is being secured by US forces, for security reasons.

After capturing many key strategic provincial capitals in recent days, forcing government forces to surrender or flee, Taliban fighters on Sunday reached the capital city.