– The situation is still confusing and chaotic, says Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) at a press conference on Friday afternoon about the situation in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working hard to evacuate Norwegians and local employees and their families out of the country.
But Søreide says that it is not certain that they will get everyone out in this round of the evacuation.
– CHAOS: Afghans outside the military section of Kabul airport. Huge crowds make it demanding to get people to the airport. The civilian part is closed. Photo: Wakil Kohsar / AFP / NTB
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Deterioration
Søreide says that the problem is not the access by plane, but to get people to the airport in Kabul.
– There is a worsening of the situation at the airport in Kabul, Søreide says.
She says that this makes the evacuation of local employees with family and Norwegian citizens demanding.
– ALMOST EMPTY: The photo was taken by Norwegian Kaisa Markhus, who came to Norway from Kabul on Friday morning. There were very many vacancies left on the plane. The Foreign Minister says that the problem is getting people to the airport, not the access to airline seats. Photo: Reuters
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– What do you mean by the situation has worsened?
– The situation that we have described for a few days, that it is complex, has intensified. It is difficult to get to the airport and get in. It varies how many parts of the streets are open, says Søreide and continues:
– There is a lot of pressure from large crowds. People are worried about their own safety, you can be squeezed and pressured, she continues.
Søreide tells TV 2 that there are now even more crowds outside the airport than there have been before, and there is greater physical pressure on the walls at the airport.
– CHAOS: This is what it looked like at the airport in Kabul on Monday. The civilian part of the airport is closed. Photo: Shekib Rahmani / AP / NTB
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200 Norwegians registered
Ahead of the press conference, the Foreign Minister attended a NATO meeting where the situation in Afghanistan was a topic.
There was clear agreement that the most important thing now is evacuation, says Søreide.
The number of Norwegians in Afghanistan who have registered on the Foreign Ministry’s website has increased to almost 200, from around 163 this morning. There may be several people behind these registrations.
Norwegians who want to leave Afghanistan must contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– SPAIN: The photo was taken by the Spanish Ministry of Defense on Wednesday when they evacuated people from Kabul. Photo: AP / NTB
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Søreide says that Norway and no other country can assist with transport to the airport. But she says that those who want to leave, will get information about when to go to the airport and when they should move there.
Working hard
According to a UN document, Taliban fighters go door to door in search of opponents and their families.
– That is the reason why we work hard. We are aware that it may be a small time window. That is also the reason why we were clear at the NATO meeting that the airport must be kept open as long as there is a need for evacuation, says Søreide.
Friday morning landed a flights from Afghanistan in Norway with just over 20 passengers.
Søreide says she is happy that the first plane with Norwegian citizens has landed.
Afghans are desperately trying to get out of the country, first and foremost with evacuation planes from Kabul. That is the reason why there are huge crowds at the airport.
Clinging to the military plane
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