언론사

Afghan Government Surrenders to Taliban

Cheongdae Times Division of Culture Affairs, Senior Reporter, Jin-Hyeong Jo

The 2021 Taliban offensive, which took place from June to August 15, 2021, emptied Bagram Air Base overnight due to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the U.S.-Afghani war. Later, the Taliban took the opportunity to suppress government forces and quickly occupy the capital, Kabul.

In July 2021, the Taliban accounted for one-third of the total 421 Afghan provinces, and the fighting area also gained the upper hand. For two days, 15 districts were taken over by the Taliban.

On July 9, the Taliban told a news conference that it claimed more than 85 percent of Afghanistan's territory, and that it also took control of Iran's borders and China's borders.

On the 18th of that month, the Afghan Ministry of Defense announced that at least 53 people were killed and 38 were wounded during air strikes and sweeping operations against the Taliban.

Since then, the Taliban have claimed to have taken over 90% of the border with Afghanistan. As a result, even now, many refugees are fleeing to neighboring countries by applying for visas.

In August next month, the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan and the British Embassy in Afghanistan strongly criticized the Taliban's massacre of civilians in Spin Boldark, Kandahar.

On the 6th, Jaranz, the capital of Nīmrūz province in southern Afghanistan, was captured for the first time among the capitals of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

On August 11 local time, the Afghan government was already on the verge of collapse, and only a few areas such as Herat and Kabul were maintained.

However, on the 12th and 13th, Herat and Kandahar, which were barely maintained, were also captured, and from this point on, the victory of the Taliban was almost certain.

Finally, on August 15, the Afghan government surrendered to the Taliban and agreed to transfer power, and a Taliban transitional government was established. Several countries, such as Qatar, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, which are neighboring countries, have announced that they will accept some refugees, and Korea has also been able to help 378 locals and their families who were involved in government and institutional affairs in Afghanistan, including our embassy, ​​and their families, came to Korea on the afternoon of the 26th.

These local Afghan helpers and their families boarded the KC-330 Cygnus, a multi-purpose aerial refueling transport aircraft of the Air Force at about 4:53 am, on the same day, departing Islamabad, Pakistan, and arriving at Incheon International Airport at around 4:24 p.m.

after a flight of over 11 hours. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most of the Afghans who entered the country on that day have worked or are related to the local Korean embassy, ​​

KOICA office, Afghan Regional Reconstruction Team (RPT) operated by the Korean government from 2011 to 2014, and local Korean hospitals and vocational training centers. staff and their families who helped with the work. By occupation, it is known that a significant number of specialists were in charge of medical, information technology (IT), and interpretation-related tasks.

They felt threatened by the Islamic militant group Taliban as they took control of Afghanistan, so they asked the local Korean embassy for help. Accordingly, the Korean government dispatched three air force transport aircrafts, including a KC-330, to Pakistan, a neighboring country in Afghanistan, on the 23rd to bring them home for humanitarian aid.

Afghans who arrived on the same day will be tested for the coronavirus and will wait at a temporary living facility outside the airport and will move to the National Civil Service Human Resources Development Institute in Jin-Cheon, North Chungcheong Province as soon as the results of the test are released.

In this regard, the Korean government called these Afghans “special contributors, not refugees,” and “moral responsibility for the serious situation of our colleagues, responsibility as a member of the international community, and international status as a country with advanced human rights the policy has been decided.”