Afghanistan called on the European Union to end the expulsion of Afghan migrants in the coming months due to the intensification of hostilities in the country caused by the intensification of Taliban offensives.
The Afghan government has asked “recipient countries to end the forced deportation of Afghan asylum seekers within the next three months,” the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said in a statement quoted by Efe.
“The escalation of violence by the Taliban terrorist group in the country and the spread of the third wave of the coronavirus have caused serious economic and social unrest, causing concern among the people,” the document, quoted by France-Presse, also said.
Ministry spokesman Reza Bacher admitted to the Spanish news agency Efe that the security situation has worsened in recent months due to the Taliban advance and the withdrawal of American troops.
“The security situation in Afghanistan leaves much to be desired, a large number of citizens are displaced internally, and some are trying to leave for other countries,” he said.
According to official figures, in recent years of the conflict, about five million Afghans have become internally displaced persons.
According to the Afghan government, there are about 769,000 Afghans living in the European Union, including refugees and asylum seekers, and the latter make up almost 30% of the total.
The Taliban already control at least 117 of Afghanistan’s 407 regions in an offensive that began on May 1, the day the United States and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) began the process of withdrawing international troops after two decades of conflict.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the withdrawal would be completed by August 31, before the originally scheduled date of September 11.
