Italy commits to protecting Afghan citizens as Taliban forces take control

In a statement issued by Palazzo Chigi, Draghi said “Italy is committed to protecting Afghan citizens who have collaborated with our mission”, and the country “is working with European partners for a solution to the crisis which protects human rights, especially those of women”.

A plane carrying Italian diplomats and their Afghan aides touched down at Rome’s Fiumicino airport from Kabul on Monday afternoon, the first of other such flights by Italy’s Air Force, according to the foreign ministry.

There were around 70 people aboard the military aircraft, part of an international airlift operation out of Kabul, including Italian ambassador Vittorio Sandalli, embassy staff, Italians living in Afghanistan and 19 Afghan citizens.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other EU counterparts on Tuesday, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan as European nations scramble to evacuate personnel from Kabul.

The talks touched on possible initiatives to be taken by EU, G7 and G20 nations to safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms established over the course of the US-led mission.

Di Maio told his counterparts the West must “reflect on the mistakes made” over the past two decades and agree on a common strategy moving forward.

“In the next few days, we will have to work on a coordinated international initiative to ensure humanitarian flights are carried out and that the emergency is replaced by an organised process,” he said.

Di Maio told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Sunday the priority was evacuating Italian citizens, but that “we cannot think of abandoning the Afghan people after 20 years”.

Evacuation efforts resumed early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to escape, a day after chaotic scenes left at least five people dead.

US President Joe Biden has defended his decision to withdraw US forces, saying that it was time to leave after 20 years of conflict and that America’s “mission was never supposed to be nation building”.