ANP
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NOS News•yesterday, 22:29
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The cabinet wants all Afghans left behind to be transferred to the Netherlands by September at the latest. Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) writes this to the House of Representatives. Picking up the group of stragglers is possible because Pakistan is willing to allow Afghans without passports to cross the border.
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In total, 942 people still need to be transferred, of whom 766 are still in Afghanistan. This concerns employees who have assisted the Dutch government in the past, for example embassy staff and employees of international organizations such as the international organizations UN and NATO. Hoekstra wants to transfer them in an organized context via Islamabad, Tehran, Doha and Dubai.
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Hoekstra still has a hand in hand. According to him, the operation is dependent on the Taliban. Last week some people were not allowed to cross the border. It is unclear why this was not allowed. In August, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan after the Americans withdrew.
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‘pick up as soon as possible for safety’s sake’
Before Kabul came into the hands of the Taliban last summer, more than 1800 people were flown to the Netherlands in a military evacuation. Since August last year, another 1,801 people have been added.
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Hoekstra acknowledges that the Netherlands is struggling with an asylum crisis, but wants to pick up the hundreds of people left behind as soon as possible for their safety. “Given the presumably one-off offer from Pakistan, the cabinet wants to make the most of this opportunity,” the minister wrote.
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The Taliban, who are they anyway?
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