By Shanil Singh in Suva
Immigration Secretary Yogesh Karan has confirmed that 13 Fijians who are currently stuck in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover last Sunday are safe and officials are working to repatriate them as soon as possible.
Karan said two worked for private contractors and the other 11 were with international organisations.
He said they had had a discussion with the Australian High Commission which gave an assurance that they would make every effort to “include our people in the evacuation flight”.
- READ MORE: Former PM Helen Clark says Taliban control ‘massive step backwards’
- Other Afghanistan reports
Karan said it was very difficult to contact them because Fiji did not have a mission in Afghanistan and they are trying to contact them via New Delhi.
He added Fiji was also working with UN agencies and the Indian government to get them out of there as quickly as possible.
Karan was also requesting anyone who had contacts with anyone in Afghanistan to let the ministry know so they could note their details.
NZ promises repatriation
RNZ News reports that people promised help in getting out of Afghanistan were desperate for information, saying they did not know where they should be or who to contact.
New Zealand citizens and at least 200 Afghans who helped New Zealand’s efforts in the country were expected to be repatriated.
Diamond Kazimi, a former interpreter for the NZ Defence Force in Afghanistan, who now lives in New Zealand, has been getting calls from those who helped the military and wanted to know when help is coming.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to 104 New Zealanders in Afghanistan but would not say where they were, what advice they were being given, or how they planned to make sure they were on the repatriation flight.
