With the withdrawal of international forces, approximately 45 Afghans employed by Denmark in conflict-affected countries will receive temporary asylum, and other Nordic countries will follow suit.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late Wednesday: “We have a common responsibility to help Afghans who are threatened by our relationship and contribution with Denmark in Afghanistan,” and noted that the country’s security situation is “severe” . .
The ministry stated that Afghans working for the Danish armed forces or embassies will be provided with evacuation to Denmark and a two-year residence permit.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that the government is exploring ways to evacuate “at least dozens” of Afghans working for the Nordic country, which echoes similar commitments by neighboring Sweden.
Last month, the first Afghans hired by the United States evacuated, and Germany and Britain also relocated local staff.
It is believed that the Taliban killed hundreds of Afghans and their families who worked in overseas troops.
France suspends deportation
The government said on Thursday that the country’s security situation is deteriorating due to the Taliban’s offensive, and France last month suspended the deportation of Afghan immigrants whose asylum applications were rejected.
The French Ministry of the Interior told AFP in a statement that the policy has been implemented since the beginning of July, after Germany and the Netherlands have similarly announced a moratorium on such deportations.
The French Ministry of Interior said: “We are closely monitoring the situation with our European partners.”
In 2020, Afghans accounted for the most asylum applications in France, with 8,886 applications.
Response within the EU
Germany and the Netherlands said on Wednesday that due to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, they have stopped forcibly repatriating Afghan immigrants, which has changed dramatically from their previous positions.
Officials did not say until Tuesday that the two governments, along with the governments of Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Greece, wrote to the EU executive agency, saying that if their asylum applications fail, they should be allowed to continue deporting Afghan immigrants.
Afghanistan in July urged the European Union to stop the forced deportation of Afghan migrants for three months before the US military withdrew from Afghanistan on August 31. Security forces fought the Taliban offensive.
The Taliban launched a lightning offensive within a week and captured 10 provincial capitals. The nearest one was the strategic city of Ghazni in Afghanistan, only 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Kabul.
The government has now effectively lost most of the northern and western parts of Afghanistan, leaving behind scattered and disputed cities that are also in danger of falling into the Taliban.
The conflict has escalated sharply since May, when the U.S.-led forces began the final phase of withdrawal, which will end later this month after 20 years of occupation.
