UN urges Afghanistan’s neighbours to keep borders open
The United Nations has urged the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to keep their borders open so that people can seek asylum in the wake of an "evolving crisis".
Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), made the call while welcoming the evacuation of Afghan nationals by the United States, reports Aljazeera.
Following the Kabul takeover by the Taliban, the United States has so far evacuated 9,000 Afghan nationals, with 3,000 were airlifted from the Kabul airport on Friday, according to a White House official.
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In addition to appreciating the US move, Shabia Mantoo stressed that they should not substitute for an "urgent and wider international humanitarian response".
"The vast majority of Afghans are not able to leave the country through regular channels," she told a Geneva news briefing. "As of today, those who may be in danger have no clear way out.
A United Nations threat assessment report says Taliban fighters are conducting "targeted door-to-door visits" of people who worked with the US and NATO forces, increasing the fear of revenge.
The Taliban, fighting since their 2001 ouster to expel foreign forces, seized Kabul on Sunday after a lightning offensive as US-led Western forces withdrew under a deal that included a Taliban promise not to attack them as they leave.
