アフガン人、初の空路退避　日本大使館スタッフら５３人

　在アフガニスタン日本大使館や国際協力機構（ＪＩＣＡ）の現地スタッフとその家族ら５３人が８日夜、日本に到着した。５３人は日本政府の要請を受けてカタール政府が手配した民間機でアフガンを出国した。空路でのアフガン人退避は自衛隊機が現地から撤収した後は初めて。外務省が９日未明に発表した。
　アフガンではイスラム主義組織タリバンが８月中旬に実権を掌握。日本政府は同月下旬、航空自衛隊の輸送機を派遣し、現地スタッフらの救出を試みたものの、日本関係では在留邦人１人の出国にとどまった。（2021/10/09-10:29）

A total of 53 Afghans who have fled their country arrived in Japan on Friday night, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in the early hours of Saturday.
   According to the ministry, the Afghans, including local workers of the Japanese Embassy in Kabul and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as their family members, left Afghanistan aboard a civilian aircraft that was arranged by the Qatari government as requested by the Japanese government.
   It was the first time for Japan to evacuate Afghans by air from their country since Japanese Self-Defense Force aircraft withdrew from Afghanistan.
   The Taliban took control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in mid-August. Later that month, the Japanese government sent Air SDF planes for an evacuation mission, but was only able to rescue one Japanese national and 14 Afghans.
   After that, the Japanese government helped the evacuation of some 50 people--JICA officials and students wanting to study in Japan--who escaped to Afghanistan's neighboring countries by land on their own.