Afghan staff working for European embassies in the Afghan capital voiced their anguish of being abandoned and left to become, along with their families, easy targets in possible reprisal acts by resurgent Taliban militants.
“The situation is getting worse,” an Afghan employee working for a European member state embassy in Kabul said, adding: “we’re running out of time. Our lives and those of our families are at grave risk due to our affiliation with Nato members. We are defenceless.”
More than a dozen Afghans who worked for European Union member state embassies expressed their concerns that their employers will turn their backs on them as they did to their country and many fear retaliatory attacks due to their affiliation with foreign entities.
While The National verified the identity of each person interviewed, all Afghan employees in foreign embassies asked to remain anonymous, fearing retribution from the Taliban and consequences in their workplace.
A number of foreign embassies in Kabul have recently reduced their international staff, urging their citizens to leave Afghanistan if possible, as tensions are growing before the May 1 deadline of US and allied troops withdrawal.
Many local staff members have shifted to working from home, afraid to even leave their own houses as targeted killings have been on the rise.
The UK’s foreign office said it now advised against “all travel to the remaining parts of the country,” while previously advising against all but essential travel.
The US Embassy in Kabul ordered their non-essential staff to leave Afghanistan.
Afghan nationals working with the US Embassy are eligible to apply for a special immigrant visa after two years of service, the UK recently launched a similar initiative; the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.
“We’re committed to ensuring that there is a fair system for the relocation of Afghan interpreters and staff who have worked with us. Any current or former locally engaged or country-based staff members assessed to be at serious risk of threat to life due to their employment with us, now or in the future, or who have been exposed to public recognition, will be offered relocation to the UK regardless of their rank or role or length of time served,” the spokesperson in the British Embassy in Kabul said.
The EU has a strong presence as well; with their employees equally in danger.
According to the Passport Index, the Afghan passport currently ranks the world’s lowest, meaning Afghanis require visas for most countries they want to visit even if the security situation in the country escalates.
The UN said that civilian casualties throughout the country have gone up by 29 per cent in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period last year.
The Global Peace Index ranks Afghanistan the world’s most dangerous country.
The European Union has not commented on how they will assist and support their Afghan employees in the coming months.
"The protection of our staff in Kabul is our first priority and we always work to guarantee that they can fulfil their tasks in the most secure possible environment. All possible security measures are being taken to continue providing security to all the European Union staff working in Kabul now and after the 1st of May," an EU spokesman in Brussels told The National.
The Dutch Embassy in Kabul has acknowledged the difficult situation.
“We are familiar with the concerns and take them most seriously. The Ministry is researching at the moment what we can do for the Afghan nationals working for the Dutch Embassy and how the safety of those colleagues is best served,” spokesperson Maxime Hovenkamp said in an email.
The annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community, published earlier this month, warned that the Taliban is confident it can achieve a military victory, reporting that they are likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to hold the them at bay if the coalition withdraw support.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid warned that “problems will certainly be compounded” in response to the US announcing their troop withdrawal date to be September 11; months after the initially pledged May 1 deadline.
Abdul Ghafoor, founder and director of the Afghanistan Migrants Advise and Support Organisation said that foreign embassies should not hand their Afghan staff “over to insurgents and the Taliban”.
“Afghans have put their lives in danger to help the international community in Afghanistan to make sure their time goes as smooth as possible. Now that they are withdrawing, it is those embassies’ responsibility to help the Afghans who put their lives in danger,” he said, adding that dozens of activists and even embassy employees were on the Taliban’s “target list”.
Afghanistan’s future is the number one discussion topic in the Afghan capital as grave concern looms that history could repeat itself – meaning the country could potentially see a civil war or a stronger Taliban trying to once again take over.
Another woman, working with a European embassy in Kabul, said she was worried about the welfare of her children as her workplace didn’t pledge any realistic measures to keep her and her family safe.
“I can’t even visit my village outside Kabul any more and I don’t even share where I work with my relatives; only my husband knows,” she said.
“We helped them when they needed us, so it’s their moral obligation to help us now. Once the International forces leave, I’m not confident that the Afghan forces will be able to keep Kabul secure,” she added.
With May 1 just days away, Afghanistan political expert Torek Farhadi said that Europeans should, at a minimum, actively look if they can give their staff members and families jobs and university scholarships for higher education studies in the EU. This, he said, will help remove them from a potentially dangerous theatre.
“Europe should distinguish itself by talking a long view on Afghanistan’s prospects. After an initial period of uncertainty and violence, the country will eventually stabilise and an investment in Afghans who worked for them and supported universal human rights is a noble move; certainly a good value for future mutual interests,” Mr Farhadi said.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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Persuasion
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
65
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THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: Egypt v Mexico (Group B)
6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
