Afghanistan: on board an evacuation flight from Kabul, 49 French nationals and their families en route to Qatar

On the eve of 20^eanniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States – which triggered the military operation of an international coalition led by the Americans in Afghanistan -, a second evacuation flight left Kabul on Friday, September 10, bound for Doha , Qatar. On board, in particular, 49 French nationals and members of their families, announced the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This operation “Allows 49 of our compatriots and their dependents to join Qatar”, thus declared the Quai d’Orsay in a press release, adding that a government-chartered flight will then bring them back to Paris. This is the second flight to evacuate people from Kabul to overseas, since the end of the Western Airlift and the departure of the last US troops from Afghanistan on August 31. Thursday, a first international passenger flight had effectively left the Afghan capital, with a hundred people on board, including 10 Americans and 11 permanent residents in the United States, 43 Canadians and 13 Dutch.

The announcement of the resumption of flights attracted a few Afghans to the vicinity of the airport on Friday, noted a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the spot. “I don’t understand these people (…). Why don’t they stay here and work? (…) It’s a crazy situation ”, reacted a Taliban captain near the airport. Since taking power on August 15, the Islamist group wants to reassure, and regularly promises that it has changed since its first rigorous and brutal reign, between 1996 and 2001.

Violently dispersed demonstrations

If the international community unanimously welcomed the resumption of evacuations – the White House acknowledging Thursday that the Taliban had “Shows flexibility” and showed “Professionals” – the Taliban have not yet convinced. All the more so as they are now seeking to consolidate their power after the appointment of their government on Tuesday. And despite their promises of openness, it is mainly composed of ultra-conservative executives, from the first generation of the regime, and does not include any woman.

Faced with rising protest – and after the sometimes violent dispersal of certain demonstrations – the Taliban temporarily banned public gatherings this week. The United Nations (UN) called them on Friday to “Stop immediately” to use force and arbitrary detention against “Those who exercise their right to protest peacefully and the journalists who cover these demonstrations”.

For his part, the Afghan ambassador to the United Nations, appointed by the previous government, urged the UN on Thursday not to recognize the Taliban government and to toughen the sanctions in force against leaders appointed in the interim cabinet.

“Large-scale atrocities” in the Panchir valley

The recent protests in Kabul are a “Powerful message for the Taliban that the Afghans will not accept the totalitarian system imposed on them”, he estimated. He accused the Taliban of engaging in “Large-scale atrocities” in the Panchir valley, the last pocket of resistance in the country after the departure of the American forces.

A speech by the UN envoy in Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, to the Security Council on Thursday is not likely to reassure the international community either. M^me Lyons thus asserted that “Credible allegations” reported assassinations committed by the Taliban since their return to power. “We are concerned that, despite numerous statements guaranteeing blanket amnesties for members of the Afghan security and national defense forces and those who have worked as public officials, there are credible allegations of retaliatory killings of members of the security and detention forces officials who worked for previous governments ”, she said.