KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will bring 900 Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan on Monday, the carrier has said, as Taliban fighters entered Kabul in their rapid military takeover of the country.
The Taliban began entering Kabul on Sunday afternoon after taking control of all of Afghanistan’s major cities.
Several Western countries have rushed to evacuate their embassy staff and nationals. The United States has airlifted its diplomats by helicopter.
“Three flights we are operating tomorrow will evacuate around 900 Pakistanis and foreigners from Kabul,” Abdullah Khan, the PIA spokesperson told Arab News.
"Three flights will go to Kabul on Monday. The three largest 777 Boeing aircraft of the PIA fleet will be operated to bring passengers to Islamabad."
He added that PIA was in coordination with the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistani foreign office said Pakistan does not plan to close its embassy in Kabul, as the mission has extended consular services and is coordinating flights for Pakistanis, Afghans and nationals of other countries.
“A special inter-ministerial cell has been established in the Ministry of Interior to facilitate visa/arrival matters for diplomatic personnel, UN agencies, international organizations, media and others,” foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.
The Taliban are on the brink of a complete takeover of Afghanistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan.
Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, confirmed that Ghani had left.
“The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” Abdullah said. “God should hold him accountable.”
The developments cap a lightning advance by the militants who were ousted from Kabul 20 years ago by US-led forces for protecting Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on America.
The collapse of the Afghan government defense has stunned diplomats. Last week, a US intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months.