Emmanuel Macron congratulated on Friday the soldiers and agents who contributed to the operation "
Apagan
" which made it possible to evacuate 2,800 people from Afghanistan after the capture of Kabul by the Taliban, by remaining there "
until the end
". “
After evacuating the people who remained at the embassy, you, embassy diplomats, police officers from the security detachment and the RAID escort, special forces soldiers, French forces stationed in the United Arab Emirates, air and space army, have literally shot at arm's length, from an open sewer, people in danger, despite the regular shootings, and the permanent threat of an attack
”, told them the Head of State, during a reception at theElysium.
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“
An example, this last French plane which took off to the last end of the allocated slots.
We held on to the end,
”added Emmanuel Macron, also paying tribute to civil society which helped welcome the evacuated families to France.
Between August 15 and 27, an airlift evacuated 2,800 people, including around 100 French nationals and more than 2,600 Afghans threatened for having worked for France or for their commitment to human rights.
In total, the French army provided 26 rotations between Kabul and the air base 104 in Abu Dhabi, the hub of the system, and 16 flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris.
Operation Apagan
Operation Apagan, launched on August 15 at the request of the Head of State, ended on August 28, security conditions no longer being met at Kabul airport due to the departure of American forces on August 31. August.
State services received 270,000 emails and 70,000 solicitation phone calls, including Afghans in France worried about their families left behind.
France has focused on people in the most immediate danger, explained the Elysee.
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In the months leading up to the evacuation, from May to July, more than 600 people, mostly women and children, were able to leave Afghanistan and be received, he added.
During the reception at the Élysée Palace in the presence of around 200 State agents, in addition to the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, were also Benoît Hamon and Christiane Taubira, who were among those who reported cases Afghans threatened.
Christiane Taubira thus reported several cases of threatened Afghan women, who were able to be evacuated, she told AFP.