自衛隊機１機が帰国　アフガン退避任務終え

　アフガニスタンから邦人らを国外退避させるため、隣国パキスタンの首都イスラマバードを拠点に活動した航空自衛隊のＣ２輸送機が３日、隊員らを乗せて帰国した。
　Ｃ２は午前９時半ごろ、埼玉県の入間基地に到着。陸上自衛隊や空自の隊員ら約１００人が出迎えた。
　アフガンからの退避をめぐっては８月２３日に岸信夫防衛相が自衛隊機の派遣を命令し、Ｃ２とＣ１３０輸送機２機が順次出発。２５～２７日に拠点となるイスラマバードとアフガンの首都カブールの空港を複数回往復し、日本人１人とアフガン人１４人を退避させた。
　大使館のアフガン人スタッフやその家族ら最大約５００人の救出を目指したが、米軍が３１日までにアフガンから完全撤収。自衛隊機を運航できるめどが立たなくなり、岸防衛相が活動終結を命じていた。Ｃ１３０も今後、日本に引き揚げる。（2021/09/03-10:15）

One of the three planes of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force that were on a mission to evacuate Japanese nationals and others from Afghanistan returned home Friday.
   The C-2 transport plane carrying SDF members and others arrived at the ASDF's Iruma Air Base, which straddles the cities of Sayama and Iruma in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, around 9:30 a.m. (12:30 a.m. GMT). The plane was welcomed by some 100 people, mainly ASDF and Ground SDF members.
   On Aug. 23, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi ordered the dispatch of the three transport planes to Afghanistan for the evacuation mission. The C-2 transport plane left the Iruma base the same day and two C-130 transport planes took off from the base the following day.
   They helped one Japanese national and 14 Afghans evacuate from Afghanistan, now under the control of the Taliban, by flying between the Afghan capital of Kabul and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, where the base for the mission was located, multiple times over three days through Aug. 27.
   The mission was initially aimed at airlifting up to some 500 people including local personnel of the Japanese Embassy in Kabul and their families.