NATO's aim in Afghanistan was to help build a viable state, not to maintain a permanent presence there, and so the government's collapse in the face of Taliban forces after 20 years is a tragedy, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.
Germany is working to get as many people as possible out of Afghanistan quickly, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday, adding that NATO allies had misjudged the situation when they thought Afghan government forces could hold back the Taliban.
The chief of field operations of the U.N. children's agency expressed cautious optimism about working with Taliban officials following their seizure of power in Afghanistan, citing their early expressions of support for girls' education.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday France was currently protecting the European Union delegate in Afghanistan and that it had also given protection to the Afghan collaborators of the EU representation in the country