Plane with Australian servicemen heading to Afghanistan to evacuate citizens: Ministry

Australia has already sent a plane carrying servicemen to Afghanistan to evacuate Australian citizens and visa holders from the country and will deploy a total of over 250 troops to assist the evacuation, the defense ministry said on Monday.

"The Australian Defence Force will be deploying more than 250 personnel to support urgent Australian Government efforts to evacuate Australian citizens and visa holders from Afghanistan. A KC-30A departed Amberley today (16 August 2021) for Australia's main operating base in the Middle East and will commence refueling operations in support of the wider US-led operation later this week. Two C-17A Globemasters will also depart for the Middle East later this week," Australia's defense ministry said in a statement.

The ministry assessed the situation in Afghanistan as "highly volatile and dangerous" and pledged to take all necessary precautions to protect those authorized for evacuation.

"The mission will be constantly assessed against the latest developments. Australia's evacuation efforts are being closely coordinated with international partners," the statement read. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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