CNAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 19 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the Islamabad Embassy in Pakistan is in contact with allies to support the evacuation of 12 Kenyans trapped in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The 12 Kenyans work for different international organizations in Afghanistan.
They include the Swedish Committee (2), the World Bank’s Supreme Audit Office (2), International Rescue Committee (1), International Development Law Organization (1), Danish Committee for Aid to Afghanistan Refugees (1), MEDAIR (1), Action Contre ka Faim (2), Handikap International (1) and Intersos (1).
The Foreign Office said the Islamabad mission will support coordination because Kenya doesn’t have a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
The Ministry also noted that as of Thursday, three Kenyans had been evacuated; one working for the International Development Law Organization and two working for Action Center la Faim.
“Kenya has no diplomatic presence in Afghanistan nor accreditation to Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Kenya High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan which is the nearest Mission to Afghanistan has reached out to our allies to get information of any Kenyans stranded in Afghanistan and prospects of evacuation,” stated MFA.
The Ministry further said it was in contact with two other Kenyan missions in Beijing and Tehran to reach out to the host governments, foreign diplomatic missions and other partners for assistance in evacuating any stranded Kenyan to safety.
Several countries including the United States and the United Kingdom have been carrying out evacuations of their citizens after Taliban militants took over the capital city Kabul on Sunday, August 15, 2021, signaling the collapse of the country’s civilian government.