Dutch embassy workers in Kabul lifted from bed by US soldiers

The Dutch personnel at the embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul were lifted from their bed on Saturday night by American soldiers. That said caretaker Minister Sigrid Kaag (Foreign Affairs) in the lower house of Dutch parliament on Tuesday.

"In the night from Saturday to Sunday, the posted staff members of the embassy were lifted from their beds. They were told: the compound will soon be raided, go to the airport now," said Kaag. According to the Minister, employees of other embassies received the same message. Due to the rush and a problem with the communication equipment, there was no way to immediately inform the local Afghan personnel, according to Kaag.

NRC reported that the local staff found an abandoned embassy on Sunday. According to Kaag, there was a "communication breakdown" in the midst of the hasty evacuation of the embassy. When it was possible again to contact the local staff from the airport, that happened, Kaag emphasized.

She hopes that a number of people can be brought to safety in the coming days. "Certainly the local embassy staff. They did everything possible to make it possible for the interpreters to leave."

But she did issue a warning. "We have absolutely no influence, no control. We don't have the means to take people from places further than Kabul, neither do other countries. There is a risk that people cannot and will not reach the airport. No, there is no guarantee. That is the terrible reality."