TORONTO 鈥� Canada has ended evacuations from Kabul鈥檚 airport, a Canadian general said Thursday, as the clock ticks down on dramatic Western efforts to help people flee the Taliban takeover ahead of a full American withdrawal.
General Wayne Eyre, the country鈥檚 acting chief of Defense Staff, said all the other countries have to leave the airport before the Americans can wrap up their mission. Canadian military flights evacuated about 3,700 people.
鈥淲e stayed in Afghanistan for as long as we could. We were amongst the last to cease evacuation operations. We wish we could have stayed longer and rescued everyone who was so desperate to leave. That we could not is truly heartbreaking, but the circumstances on the ground rapidly deteriorated,鈥� Eyre said.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said he is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout as the Taliban insisted he must, ramping up pressure on the already risky airlift from Kabul to get out as many people as possible in the coming days.
Canada and European allies pressed for more time but lost the argument.
Canada is one many countries taking part in the evacuation of people facing Taliban reprisals from Kabul鈥檚 airport. Over 1,000 refugees are in Canada now. Canada has plans to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees.
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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:
鈥� West warns of amid airlift
鈥� A fallen Marine and a war鈥檚 crushing end
鈥� end Afghan evacuation as clock ticks down
鈥� may still await Kabul evacuation
鈥� prompts questions, criticism
鈥� Immigrant stuck in Afghanistan
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鈥� Find more AP coverage at
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HERE鈥橲 WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
BERLIN 鈥� Germany鈥檚 defense minister says terror threats in Kabul have become 鈥渟ignificantly more concrete鈥� as the international evacuation effort from the airport in the Afghan capital is nearing its end.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Thursday that the effort is 鈥渘ow in what is certainly the most hectic, dangerous and sensitive phase. We know that the terror threats have intensified massively and that they have become significantly more concrete.鈥�
She said Germany鈥檚 foreign ministry told people in Kabul overnight that they should not try to get to the airport on their own, in line with warnings by the U.S. and others.
The German military was still flying between Kabul and Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday. It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear when exactly the German evacuation effort would end.
Germany鈥檚 top military commander, Gen. Eberhard Zorn, said that as of Thursday afternoon German flights had evacuated some 5,200 people from 45 nations, including about 4,200 Afghans.
Zorn said two small German helicopters that were flown into Kabul a few days ago, intended to help get individuals to the airport, were flown out to Tashkent overnight.
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WARSAW, Poland 鈥� A deputy foreign minister in Poland said on Thursday that his country is looking for the family of 13-year-old Afghan boy, Fawad, who got separated from his parents in the crowd pressing on the Kabul airport.
Fawad has been brought to safety in Poland but his parents' whereabouts were not immediately known.
Marcin Przydacz said that Fawad鈥檚 parents could have been evacuated on another flight to a Western country, such as the United States or Britain, but have not yet been localized. The first appeal for help in finding Fawad鈥檚 family, with the boy鈥檚 photo was made on Twitter by Poland鈥檚 government official, Michal Dworczyk, on Tuesday.
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LONDON 鈥� Britain鈥檚 prime minster says the 鈥渙verwhelming majority鈥� of people eligible to come to Britain have been evacuated from Afghanistan, but time is running out on the airlift.
Boris Johnson said about 15,000 people have left Kabul airport on Royal Air Force flights. He said that 鈥渋n the time we have left, which may be -- as I鈥檓 sure everybody can appreciate -- quite short, we鈥檒l do everything we can to get everybody else.鈥�
U.S. forces are due to leave the airport by Aug. 31, and other countries鈥� missions will have to wrap up before then.
Visiting a military base in London where the British evacuation effort is 小蓝视频 coordinated, Johnson said Britain hoped to continue evacuations after the end of the month, and urged the Taliban to facilitate it.
Johnson said 鈥渢he safe passage for those who want to come out is the key precondition鈥� for development aid and access to international funding for Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
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BRUSSELS 鈥� The European Union still has a skeleton staff in Kabul working to evacuate people as the end of airlifts from the chaotic airport looms.
A number of European nations have said that they are ending their evacuation efforts ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
European Commission foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said Thursday that a small EU team 鈥渨ill be on the ground as long as necessary in order to complete the evacuation operations.鈥�
He declined to give more details, saying he didn鈥檛 want to share more details 鈥渂ecause they are operating in an environment which is not exactly friendly.鈥�
Stano says that more than 400 Afghans who worked for the EU in Afghanistan, along with their families, have already been evacuated.
He adds that 鈥渢here are still some people who we need and want to get out鈥� but would not give more detail, citing 鈥渙perational reasons.鈥�
Commission spokesman Eric Mamer says that the 400 Afghan EU workers and their families 鈥渁re in the process of 小蓝视频 transferred to member states who offered places.鈥�
He called discussions about their relocation 鈥渁 very intense process鈥� but adds that members of the 27-nation bloc 鈥渁re very clear that they are they are willing to help鈥� accommodate the EU鈥檚 Afghan staff.
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MOSCOW 鈥� The Kremin says that Russia will closely follow the developments in Afghanistan before making a decision on whether to recognize the Taliban鈥檚 rule.
Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Moscow will watch the Taliban鈥檚 鈥渇uture steps to ensure order and security of the country鈥檚 citizens and provide security for the Russian diplomats.鈥�
Peskov emphasized that Russia wants to see peace and stability in Afghanistan and hopes that efforts will be taken to stem the flow of drugs coming from the country.
Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops鈥� withdrawal in 1989, has made a diplomatic comeback as a mediator over the past few years, reaching out to feuding Afghan factions including the Taliban even though the group was added to the Russian list of terrorist organizations in 2003.
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BUCHAREST, Romania 鈥� Romania鈥檚 Supreme Council of National Defense says Romania will contribute a maximum of 200 troops to NATO missions to 鈥渆vacuate and relocate Afghan citizens.鈥�
鈥淭he NATO operation will, in principle, consist of taking Afghan citizens from temporary bases in Kuwait and Qatar and relocating them to temporary stationed bases on the territory of allied states,鈥� the supreme council said in a statement after a meeting Wednesday.
The council said that Romanian troops would contribute for a maximum of six months and that operations would start in August.
The security council also said that during the meeting it decided 鈥渇urther steps would be taken to bring Afghan citizens,鈥� such as journalists, human rights activists, magistrates, and students to safety in Romania. It did not provide further details on how or when this would happen.
Romanian authorities have earmarked a number of Afghans for evacuation to Romania, but none could make it safely to Kabul airport last week when Romania carried out three evacuation flights, officials said.
The security council also said in the meeting that Afghanistan鈥檚 swift takeover by the Taliban 鈥渕ay have security consequences鈥� for Romania, 鈥渄ue to the dangers posed by extremism, terrorism, the export of instability in the region, drug and arms trafficking, (and) illegal migration.鈥�
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LONDON 鈥� A former Royal Marine who runs an animal charity in Afghanistan says he, his Afghan staff and dozens of dogs and cats are stuck outside Kabul鈥檚 airport as they try to get a flight out of the country.
Paul 鈥淧en鈥� Farthing appealed to the Taliban to allow the group safe passage into the airport. He tweeted to Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen that 鈥渨e have been here for 10 hours after 小蓝视频 assured that we would have safe passage. Truly would like to go home now.鈥�
Farthing has been pressing for days to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group鈥檚 rescued animals.
Dominic Dyer, a British animal campaigner who is assisting Farthing, said a plane had been chartered and was due to leave the U.K. later Thursday for Kabul.
Farthing鈥檚 supporters have clashed with Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who refused to airlift the animals on a Royal Air Force plane. saying 鈥淚 have to prioritize people at the moment over pets.鈥�
The U.K. defense ministry later said it would help Farthing, his group and the animals leave on the privately funded chartered jet.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Thursday that U.K. forces at the airport would 鈥渇acilitate鈥� the flight. He told ITV that 鈥渢he difficulty is getting Pen into the airfield.鈥�
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HELSINKI 鈥� Finland said Thursday it had evacuated 51 people from Kabul to the Nordic country, adding that its total number of evacuees has risen to close to 340 people.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter that Finland too had assisted four people on their way to other countries Wednesday when the people were evacuated.
鈥淐ooperation is power,鈥� the ministry wrote, adding that Finland in total had assisted 30 persons from 鈥渙ur partner countries.鈥�
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MILAN 鈥� The Afghan director of a school for girls dedicated to an Italian newspaper correspondent killed in Afghanistan is trying desperately to gain access to the Kabul airport for evacuation, with anxiety growing as the end of flights nears.
Shir Ahmad Mohammadi has sent messages to contacts in Italy as well as Italian officials in Kabul, saying that the Taliban are not allowing him and his family near the airport, Corriere della Sera reported on Thursday.
鈥淗elp me, I can鈥檛 go on. The Taliban are not allowing us to pass. They are asking for U.S. documents that we don鈥檛 have,鈥� Mohammadi wrote.
He is the director of a school in Herat province named for Maria Grazia Cutuli, a Corriere correspondent killed in 2001. He traveled by bus with his wife and two daughters, finding himself in the capital controlled by the Taliban and with foreign troops by now closed off in the airport.
鈥淚 served female students in Afghanistan, giving them the chance to study in the name of your country. Now it is time that I think of my daughters, and try to get them to safety,鈥欌�� he wrote. 鈥淚 have my two daughters with me, what should I do, I cannot leave them to be treated in this way. I have to take care of their security and their dignity. That is why I made this trip.鈥�
He said his wife and daughters are under increasing strain. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how long we can keep going in these conditions,鈥欌�� Mohammadi wrote.
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WARSAW, Poland 鈥� Poland says the reason it has halted its evacuation flights was so that the United States could meet its Aug. 31 deadline to quit Kabul.
That is the 鈥渄ate when the last U.S. soldier is to leave Kabul airport,鈥� Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Thursday, but to make that possible all others must leave first.
Przydacz said that some countries have not yet evacuated all their citizens and associates and for this reason they were continuing their evacuation missions. Poland however has met its evacuation goals and ended its mission.
Przydacz said that 鈥渘o matter how long the mission would have taken and how many people would have been evacuated, if a Polish diplomat or a soldier got hurt, the mission would not have been a success.鈥�
Przydacz said it was a difficult decision to wrap up the evacuation but that 鈥渢oday, with such high level of terrorist threat, amid the growing instability, we see no possibility of putting the lives of our people at risk any longer. They have really done an immense job.鈥�
He mentioned the consuls at the spot, finding people in the crowd, diplomats in various countries securing instant permission for Polish planes to fly over their territory, and officials in Warsaw who worked round the clock to bring people to safety.
Poland has evacuated some 1,300 people in 14 flights, through Uzbekistan. Some 200 of the evacuees were rescued at the request of other countries, and of the IMF. The last group arrived Thursday morning.
Przydacz said that Poland will be ready to air lift more people if commercial flights from Afghanistan are restored.
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ISTANBUL 鈥� The first Turkish troops evacuated from Afghanistan arrived back in Turkey on Thursday.
TV footage showed a Turkish Airlines flight carrying 345 soldiers land at Ankara鈥檚 Esenboga Airport, having departed Kabul on Wednesday evening. Some 600 Turkish troops were based in Afghanistan.
鈥淲e aim to complete the transfer as soon as possible,鈥� Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark 鈥� The foundation created by toymaker Lego and its parent company say they will donate 100 million kroner ($16 million) to support vulnerable children in Haiti and Afghanistan.
鈥淭he humanitarian crises that are happening in Haiti and Afghanistan are unimaginable and only intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� said Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, chairman of the LEGO Foundation.
Since May 2021, more than 500,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan. As for Haiti, the Aug. 14 violent earthquake that was followed by a tropical storm 鈥渉as left half-a-million Haitian children with limited or no access to shelter, safe water, health care, and nutrition.鈥�
鈥淲ith COVID-19 still (小蓝视频) an imminent threat to the health and safety of Haiti鈥檚 population, the loss and damage associated with these most recent natural disasters only further compounds the dire situation so many children and families are experiencing,鈥� they said in a joint statement.
Based in Denmark, the Lego Foundation and parent company KIRKBI A/S said that they had partnered up with, among others, two U.N. agencies -- UNICEF and UNHCR 鈥� as well as Education Cannot Wait, a global fund to transform the delivery of education in emergencies.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates 鈥� Qatar says it has helped the evacuation of more than 40,000 people from Kabul airport.
The small nation on the Arabian Peninsula says most will transit through Qatar after staying in temporary accommodations.
Qatar says that 鈥渢he evacuation efforts will continue in the coming days in consultation with international partners.鈥�
Qatar also hosts an office of the Taliban and was the site of negotiations between America, the toppled Afghan government and the insurgents.
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NEW DELHI 鈥� India says it has evacuated most of its nationals from Afghanistan and is doing everything to bring them back home.
India鈥檚 External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told a meeting of political leaders on Thursday that India has operated six flights so far from Kabul after a stunning takeover by the Taliban. 鈥淎 few of them (Indians) are still there.鈥�
He didn鈥檛 give the exact number of Indians and Afghans evacuated so far from Kabul but the Indian media put their numbers around 800.
He declined to say how India is going to deal with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. 鈥淭he situation in Afghanistan is yet to settle down. I will talk about it later,鈥� Jaishankar told reporters.
New Delhi had stayed away from the Taliban except for back-channel contacts in recent months. It didn鈥檛 recognize the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001.
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ISLAMABAD 鈥� Pakistan鈥檚 prime minister has called on the international community to continue engagement with Afghanistan, saying it was a 鈥渨ay forward to avert any humanitarian crisis and secure peace and stability.鈥�
Imran Khan made his comment during a meeting with David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program who met with him in Islamabad. Khan also called for the formation of an inclusive government to ensure peace and avoid an humanitarian crisis, after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
The latest development comes as dozens of Afghans continue to enter Pakistan via its land borders. But the number of Afghan people entering Pakistan through land routes has been steadily decreasing since earlier this week.
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BUDAPEST, Hungary 鈥� Hungary says its army has evacuated all Hungarian citizens from Afghanistan of which the defense ministry is aware.
Defense Minister Tibor Benko told a press conference on Thursday that 540 people, among them 57 Afghan families including 180 children, had been evacuated to Hungary from Kabul.
Of the Afghan citizens who assisted Hungarian forces in Afghanistan since 2003, the army has evacuated 87%, he said, adding that Hungarian, Afghan, Austrian and U.S. citizens were evacuated during the operation.
All of the nearly 100 Hungarian soldiers that participated in the evacuation operation have returned to Hungary, Benko said. No injuries occurred during the evacuation operations, though there were Afghan citizens who sustained injuries prior to their evacuation, he said.
Seven Hungarian soldiers were killed during military operations in Afghanistan since 2003, Benko said.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands 鈥� The Dutch government says it is pulling its troops and diplomats out of the Kabul airport over the security situation.
In a letter to parliament Thursday, the foreign and defense ministers say that 鈥渢he Netherlands has been told by the United States to leave today and will most likely carry out its last flight later today.鈥�
They add that 鈥渋n light of the extremely quickly deteriorating situation in and around the airport, evacuees can no longer be assisted by the Netherlands to get access to the airport.鈥�
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LONDON 鈥� The British, French and Danish militaries have given stark warnings about the security situation at the Kabul airport, where Afghan civilians are scrambling to evacuate ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline for foreign troops to leave Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC on Thursday there was 鈥漹ery, very credible reporting of an imminent attack鈥� at the airport. Other warnings emerged about a possible threat from Afghanistan鈥檚 Islamic State affiliate, which likely has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban freeing prisoners across the country.
Heappey conceded that people are desperate to leave and 鈥渢here is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.鈥�
French Prime Minister Jean Castex told French radio RTL on Thursday that 鈥渇rom tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport鈥� due to the Aug. 31 American withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Danish defense minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned: 鈥淚t is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.鈥� Denmark鈥檚 last flight, carrying 90 people plus soldiers and diplomats, already had left Kabul.
Poland and Belgium have already ended their evacuations from Afghanistan.
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BERLIN 鈥� The German army says it has sent another military transport plane to Kabul to evacuate further people from the Afghan capital.
The army tweeted that the plane departed from Tashkent Thursday morning.
Altogether, the German army, or Bundeswehr, has airlifted 5,193 people out of Kabul, 539 of those on Wednesday.
The defense ministry tweeted that, 鈥淲e could already help many. We will evacuate until the last second.鈥�
Government officials have not said when exactly the German evacuation mission is going to end but it is expected that the country will stop evacuating people with military planes ahead of the Americans鈥� pullout date of August 31.
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WARSAW, Poland -- Poland鈥檚 prime minister said that the country has evacuated over 900 Afghan citizens, as the country prepared to end its evacuation mission later Thursday.
鈥淭he evacuation action from Afghanistan ends today,鈥� said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a news conference in Warsaw.
Another government official, Michal Dworczyk, said that a total of 44 flights were made transporting over 1,100 people. More than 900 of them are Afghans who have cooperated with Poland for years. He said the last transport with civilians from Afghanistan would land in Poland on Thursday morning.
The Afghan ambassador to Poland, Tahir Qadiry, also spoke at the news conference, expressing his thanks to the Polish government and the Polish people and voicing hope that the evacuated Afghan citizens will be able to return home one day.
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ISTANBUL 鈥� Turkish civilian technicians could help operate Kabul airport after the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, a senior Turkish official said Thursday.
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said talks with the Taliban were underway to determine the operation of Hamid Karzai International Airport.
鈥淲e can continue the operation of the airport there even after our troops withdraw,鈥� Kalin told broadcaster NTV. 鈥淥ur civilian experts can provide support for the airport and negotiations regarding this are continuing.鈥�
Turkey announced its troops had begun to leave Kabul, where they have been helping guard the airport, on Wednesday evening. Kalin said the troop withdrawal would be completed within 36 hours.
Prior to the Taliban taking Kabul on Aug. 15, NATO member Turkey had offered to secure and operate the airport following the U.S. withdrawal.
The Associated Press
