On Tuesday 17 August 2021, Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence and the A400M military aircraft of the Luxembourg army are supporting evacuation operations from Afghanistan.
Following recent events in Afghanistan, the Defence Directorate is planning, together with the Belgian authorities, an evacuation operation from Afghanistan using the Belgian-Luxembourg binational A400M air transport unit. The A400M military aircraft of the Luxembourg army will participate in the operations in question.
The Defence Directorate is in contact with four Luxembourg citizens and two Luxembourg residents who are still in Afghanistan to coordinate and support the organisation of their repatriation.
The Defence Directorate also assisted the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in organising the repatriation of 17 staff members currently on mission in Afghanistan.
Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, praised the excellent cooperation between the Luxembourg and Belgian armed forces in the context of this extremely urgent situation. He stated “The planning of this operation shows that the the creation of the Belgian-Luxembourg binational unit was an excellent decision. The Luxembourg A400M will contribute to the evacuation and repatriation of Luxembourg citizens and allies from Kabul and I am proud of it. I salute the courage of all the soldiers who take part in this mission.”
