Switzerland begins evacuating diplomatic staff from Kabul

Switzerland has started to prepare for the evacuation of its diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan amid a deteriorating security situation in the capital, Kabul, spokesperson of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Elisa Raggi, told Sputnik.

On Sunday, the Taliban entered Kabul to negotiate the transfer of power with the government of President Ashraf Ghani, who then stepped down and left the country. Ghani said his decision was dictated by the desire to prevent violence as the militants were ready to carry out an attack on the capital.

Raggi told Sputnik that the Swiss Cooperation Office in Kabul has been temporarily closed amid the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital.

"Preparatory evacuation work is underway for the safety of Swiss and local staff," the FDFA spokesperson said.

Earlier on Sunday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that his country had already started evacuating some of the employees of its embassy in the Afghan capital. US media reported on Sunday that the United States completed the evacuation of employees of its embassy in Afghanistan and that diplomats were taken to the Kabul airport on Sunday. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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