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As the Taliban made progress and joined the ranks of Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Norway, France confirmed the suspension of refugee returns.
France has become the latest European country to announce that it will stop expelling Afghan refugees because the Taliban continue to make huge gains in this war-torn country despite the withdrawal of foreign troops.
A spokesperson for the French Ministry of the Interior confirmed on Thursday that Paris stopped deportations in early July due to the deterioration of the security situation.
The Taliban confirmed the news on Thursday Win the 10th provincial capitalIn less than a week, the city of Ghazni was 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Kabul.
France announced that the news was cancelled in Germany and the Netherlands big face Regarding the controversial deportation, it was announced on Wednesday that they also suspended the deportation of Afghan refugees.
The move only affected about 30,000 Afghan refugees in Germany.
EU member states Finland and Sweden and European Economic Area member Norway also suspended deportations.
The governments of Berlin and Amsterdam, together with Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Greece, urged the EU administration to “strengthen negotiations” with the Afghan government in a letter to ensure the continued expulsion of refugees.
“Stopping returns sends the wrong signal and may prompt more Afghan citizens to leave their homes for the European Union,” the ministers wrote to the European Commission.
A spokesperson for the European Commission later told reporters that it “depends on everyone [EU] Member States conduct individual assessments on the possibility of return”.
In addition to the withdrawal letter, Germany also stated that if the Taliban occupy Kabul and try to rule the country alone, Berlin will suspend its 430 million euros (505 million US dollars) aid to Afghanistan.
The U.S. Special Representative Khalilzad has previously stated that any Taliban government that comes to power by force will not be recognized by Western powers.
According to reports, the pace of the Taliban offensive surprised US officials, who announced in April that the US military would withdraw completely by the end of August.
US officials told the Washington Post that Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, may fall within 90 days.
Pressure to give asylum
While the Taliban has achieved victory, NATO, the United States, and other countries that have deployed troops to Afghanistan over the past 20 years continue to face pressure to provide asylum to the Afghans they hire.
On Thursday, Denmark provided temporary asylum to approximately 45 Afghans employed by it. It is expected that Sweden and Finland will make similar commitments.
The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany have also taken actions to relocate Afghan contractors, but activists say such efforts are not enough.
In July, the United States announced a special visa program for Afghans working for the U.S. government and their families, saying that it has approved 2,500 Afghans to move quickly to the United States. Approximately 20,000 people have applied for the program.
The United States subsequently expanded the scope of refugee visas to include current and former employees of US media organizations, aid and development agencies, and other relief groups that receive US funding.
Some countries, especially Turkey, criticize The US plan relies in part on the resettlement of Afghans to a third country while processing their applications.
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