”All citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) who are currently staying in Kabul are well and safe, at the airport, under military security, ” told BiH Ambassador to Islamabad, Sakib Foric, who also covers Afghanistan.
Foric said that BiH citizens were accommodated at the ”Hamid Karzai” International Airport in Kabul in military facilities and under the military security of American, British, and Turkish forces.
Also, he added that they all have contact with the Embassy in Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, as well as their families and that he also has direct communication with several of them who told him that they have food and accommodation, and the Internet.
“The citizens of BiH were taken care of by their employers so they got booked tickets for civilian flights, but all those flights were suspended because the military flights have priority,” Foric explained.
According to him, the security at the airport deteriorated becausetens of thousands of citizens found themselves there, and even a few thousand managed to cross the airport’s security fence, get on the runway and prevent the plane from landing and taking off.
There is no reason for panic, Foric stressed and added that the situation in Kabul is peaceful, without fighting, and he expects that in the next few days the situation will stabilize even more and that the return of BiH citizens will be possible.
“The part concerning the events at the airport itself will probably be arranged in these two days in such a way as to enable the landing and take-off of the planes,” Foric noted.
Furthermore, Foric stated that a flight was planned for one BiH citizen for yesterday, and for four on Thursday, August 19th, while the others were planned for the next few days, but he believes that civilian flights will not be opened and that they will not be able to board on the announced charter flights.
It is possible that they will be transported to some destination by some of the military flights, and as of yesterday morning, as he stated, there is a new possibility since an official note was sent with the names of BiH citizens who would be evacuated from Kabul to Pakistan and placed in Islamabad.
Foric claims that the Taliban do not want to fight any battles, butwant to protect foreigners, and the local population as well, BHRT writes.
Photo: politico
E.Dz.
