Brussels: Afghan diaspora protest Taliban takeover, seeks EU’s intervention

Brussels [Belgium], August 19 (ANI): Hundreds of Afghans protested in front of the European Commission, European Council, and the European External Action Service (EEAS) against the Taliban takeover and urged the 27-nation bloc to save people of Afghanistan from the terror group’s inhumane regime.

The protest was organised by the Network of Afghan Diaspora Organisations in Europe (NADOE) and the Afghan Refugee Committee of Belgium organised on Wednesday.

Holding Afghan flags and placards inscribed with their demands, the protestors called on European Union institutions to step forward to save Afghans from the Taliban.

The protest demonstration was attended by about 200-250 members of the Afghan diaspora.

The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace.

Soon after the terror group claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country, and hundreds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, thousands of people gather in front of the German parliament in Berlin to demand an airlift and the welcome of Afghan refugees by the EU.

Dozens of demonstrators staged a rally outside the U.N.’s Geneva compound on Tuesday to call for respect for women and freedom of expression in Afghanistan after Taliban fighters seized power from the country’s government.

The demonstrators called for continued schooling for women and girls – which was banned during the Taliban’s previous rule in the late 1990s – and held up banners reading “We want peace” and “Make the Afghan people count!”

On Tuesday, European Union foreign ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the Taliban takeover of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The EU expressed “deep concerns” about reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in areas across Afghanistan.

The EU calls on all parties in Afghanistan to respect all commitments made and to pursue further an inclusive, comprehensive and enduring political solution.

“The EU stresses the utmost importance of the safety and security of all EU citizens in Afghanistan, as well as local staff working for the EU or member states,” the statement read.

The bloc called for an immediate cessation of all violence, the restoration of security and civil order and the protection and respect for civilian life, dignity and property throughout Afghanistan. (ANI)