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Developments in Afghanistan

Evacuation of Russians from Afghanistan prompted by tense situation — Kremlin spokesman

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that three military transport planes from the Russian Aerospace Forces had departed the Chkalovsky airfield for Afghanistan to evacuate over 380 people at the Russian president's order

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. Russian nationals and citizens of some other countries have been evacuated from Afghanistan at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the tense situation in the war-ravaged country, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"It's not just Russian nationals but also citizens of some CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] member states and other countries. It's the evacuation of those who have lived [in Afghanistan] and need to leave Afghanistan's territory because the situation there is extremely tense," the spokesman said in response to a related question.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier on Thursday that three military transport planes from the Russian Aerospace Forces had departed the Chkalovsky airfield for Afghanistan to evacuate over 380 people at the Russian president's order. According to the Defense Ministry, each of the planes carried military medical teams who have medical equipment and medicines to aid and support the evacuees.

Situation in Afghanistan

The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) embarked on a large-scale operation to take the country under control. Taliban fighters swept into Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on August 15, without encountering any resistance, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country. On September 7, the Taliban announced an interim government, which has not been recognized by any country yet. On August 25 and 26, the Russian Defense Ministry evacuated over 500 Russian, Belarusian, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek nationals were repatriated from Afghanistan on Putin's orders.

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