BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s two military passenger planes and all its troops taking part in evacuations have left Afghanistan and returned safely to Hungary, the Hungarian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday that Hungary’s evacuation flights from Afghanistan were nearing an end after the central European country airlifted more than 500 people from Kabul.
Pressure to complete the evacuations of thousands of foreigners and Afghans who helped Western countries during the 20-year war against the Taliban has intensified, with all U.S. and allied troops due to leave the airport next week.
The United States and allies urged people to move away from Kabul airport on Thursday due to the threat of an Islamic State attack as Western troops hurry to evacuate as many Afghans as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline. nL4N2PX0E5
The head of Hungary’s armed forces will hold a news conference about the evacuations at 0700 GMT.
Hungary, an opponent of irregular migration to Europe, has rejected any plans to accommodate large numbers of Afghan refugees, and said it would only evacuate people whose lives were at risk for supporting the NATO presence in Afghanistan.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than and Anita Komuves; Editing by Giles Elgood)
