Japan formally withdraws SDF from Afghanistan evacuation mission

Sep 01, 2021 | News On Japan

Sep 01, 2021 (Japan Times) - Japan on Tuesday decided to formally withdraw its Self-Defense Forces from their mission to evacuate people, including its nationals, from war-torn Afghanistan, citing security reasons amid heightened tensions following the recent seizure of power by the Taliban.

After Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi ordered the withdrawal, his ministry said the SDF would return to Japan soon.

Japan assessed it was becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that operations at Kabul airport would be safe after U.S. troops completed their pullout from Afghanistan on Monday, Japanese government sources said. The move comes after Japan evacuated one national and transported 14 Afghans from the country.

The government has come under fire over the planning of the SDF mission. When asked at a news conference on Tuesday if the timing was right for the dispatch, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi defended the decision, saying it was made “despite the rapidly changing situations” and adding that he did not think it was late.

The government vowed to continue its efforts to evacuate Japanese nationals and local staff at its embassy and with Japanese agencies in Afghanistan.

Security in Kabul remains volatile following last week’s deadly explosions near the airport that killed more than 100 people. Media have reported that a U.S. anti-missile defense system intercepted as many as five rockets that were fired at the airport early Monday.

Sources said up to about 500 people related to Japan — including local staff of the Japanese Embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency and their families — remain in the country. While assessing security on the ground, the government has been looking into possible alternative methods to evacuate them, such as by using commercial airlines, according to the sources.

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