STA, 18 August 2021 - An interpreter who had helped the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) on its mission in Afghanistan has made it to Kabul airport along with his family. They are now waiting for the first available flight out of the country, Defence Minister Matej Tonin told the broadcaster Kanal A on Wednesday.
The interpreter and his six-member family travelled four days to get from Herat to Kabul. It took them another two days to get to airport facilities guarded by US and Turkish troops, the N1 portal first reported.
According to N1, the Slovenian Defence Ministry is in regular contact with NATO allies to make sure the interpreter and his family are evacuated as soon as possible.
Slovenia will then take them in and grant them asylum status.
Minister Tonin confirmed the reports for the news show Svet, saying the family was waiting for safe passage to Slovenia.
He thinks evacuation flights will continue to be operated from the airport in Afghanistan's capital for some time. He said he had been told this by his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on Tuesday when he met him in Istanbul.
The SAF had worked with another Afghan interpreter, who has not made it to the airport so far and neither has his family. Slovenia is willing to give all eight of them sanctuary as well.
"This is our moral duty as the interpreters had helped Slovenian soldiers. Now that their lives are at risk, Slovenia is helping them," Tonin said, adding: "For the remaining eight persons the evacuation will take more effort as they are not in Kabul."
Apart from these two families, Slovenia is also willing to welcome up to five Afghans who had assisted the EU out of solidarity with other EU countries, Foreign Minister Anže Logar announced today, adding that the country would not offer to take in any additional Afghan refugees beyond these for now.
