Afghanistan: Japan forces could pull out of evacuation mission ‘in days’
- Japan has assessed it is difficult to ensure operations would be safe after the Tuesday deadline of the US troops’ withdrawal
- Such a move would come after Japan had evacuated one national and transported 14 Afghans out of the country
Japan is considering withdrawing its Self-Defence Forces from their mission to evacuate people, including Japanese nationals, from Afghanistan on Wednesday at the earliest, government sources said, amid heightened tensions in the war-torn country.
Japan has assessed it is difficult to ensure operations at the airport in the Afghan capital of Kabul would be safe after the Tuesday deadline of the US troops’ pull-out from Afghanistan, the sources said.
Such a move would come after Japan had evacuated one national and transported 14 Afghans out of the country.
Security in Kabul remains volatile following last week’s deadly explosions near the airport that killed more than 100 people.
Media have reported that a US anti-missile defence system intercepted as many as five rockets that were fired at the airport early on Monday.
SDF aircraft – a C-2 transporter and two C-130 planes – have remained on standby in Islamabad in neighbouring Pakistan to discern developments in Kabul, where foreign governments have been rushing to evacuate their citizens.
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UK, France, Germany and most other European allies end Afghanistan evacuation
The sources said up to about 500 people including local staff of the Japanese Embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency as well as their families remain in the country.
