Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Impossible To Evacuate All Allied Afghans By August 31: EU Foreign Policy Chief

Impossible To Evacuate All Allied Afghans By August 31: EU Foreign Policy Chief

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said they've complained to to US their security at Kabul airport was overly strict and hampering attempts by Afghans who worked for the Europeans to enter.
"It's mathematically impossible" for the US and its allies to evacuate tens of thousands of their Afghan personnel and families by August 31, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Saturday.

Borrell, speaking to AFP from Spain in a telephone interview, added that "we have complained" to the Americans that their security at Kabul airport was overly strict and hampering attempts by Afghans who worked for the Europeans to enter.

August 31 is the deadline the United States had announced for the complete pullout of its forces from Afghanistan, but President Joe Biden has flagged that might be extended if airlifts remain viable.

The US military is currently in control of Kabul's airport and running its air traffic control operations.

"As far as I know, for the moment the Americans haven't said they will stay beyond August 31, but they might change their thinking," Borrell said.

"They want to evacuate 60,000 people between now and the end of this month. It's mathematically impossible," he said.

Borrell told AFP that, for Europe's evacuation efforts, "the problem is access to the airport -- the US checks and security measures are very strong" and were preventing the passage of Afghan staff.

He said Brussels had lodged a complaint with the US, asking for "more flexibility".

The EU's top foreign policy official had been in Madrid accompanying European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to a Spanish air base receiving incoming flights carrying European citizens and Afghan personnel -- and several American citizens.

He said just 150 of the 400 Afghans employed by the EU have been evacuated so far. "I'm very aware that this is very insufficient," he said.

"Planes are leaving while people are still on the tarmac," he said.

Despite his exasperation, Borrell denied there were tensions between the European Union and the United States over the ongoing evacuations.

But, he said, questions will have to be asked over "why things happened like this" and evoked a future EU summit being called to address the situation that Europe has found itself in, and what the next steps should be regarding Afghanistan.

Borrell, who this week told the European Parliament that the chaotic evacuation scenes were a "catastrophe" for the West, underlined that the European Union has been working on for some time on a strategy paper that will propose a 50,000-strong rapid reaction force to tackle future crises.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
×