A Czech military evacuation aircraft has landed in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to unofficial information. It is expected to take more Czechs and local collaborators from Afghanistan to the Czech Republic. It is not clear when the aircraft will take off from Kabul, as the situation at Kabul airport is unclear.
On Monday morning, the aircraft left Prague with a stopover in Baku, Azerbaijan, where it waited for permission to land in Kabul. It took off again this morning.
This is the second evacuation that the Czech Republic has dispatched to Afghanistan. The first transported 46 Czechs and their colleagues and their families to Prague on Monday morning.
Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar (ANO) confirmed the continuation of the evacuation mission. “We are continuing the airlift to Kabul. We want to evacuate as many Afghans who helped us as possible, ” the minister tweeted this morning.
The crisis staff reconvened at the Foreign Ministry at 09:00 and met continuously throughout Monday.
A second evacuation plane left Prague at around 11:00 on Monday. In the evening, Defence Minister Metnar reported that the airbus had landed in Baku and was awaiting permission to land in Kabul. “Further rescue missions can continue only after the basic conditions for a safe arrival and departure are secured. Our other aircraft are ready for deployment, ” Metnar said on Monday.
Like other members of the anti-Taliban coalition, the Czech Republic is trying to evacuate its staff and local associates from Kabul. They have stepped up their efforts after the Taliban seized Kabul itself.
According to reports, the first evacuation special transported to the Czech Republic was mainly staff of the Czech embassy. Another group of people is waiting to be evacuated at Kabul airport. They should include interpreters assisting the Czech army. Ambassador Jiří Baloun, who is involved in the evacuation, has yet to leave the country.