Netherlands says first group of Afghans arrives

The Dutch defense ministry says that the first group of Afghans evacuated from Kabul on Dutch military transport planes has arrived at a barracks in the northern Netherlands that has been transformed into a temporary accommodation center.

The ministry said Friday that a group of 28 Afghans has been taken to the center in Zoutcamp, a small village come 180 kilometers (120 miles) north of Amsterdam.

Dutch authorities say they have so far managed five flights out of Kabul with nearly 300 passengers. It is not clear how many of them were Afghans.

The Dutch government is seeking to evacuate Afghan nationals and their families who worked for the country's military during its deployment and for the embassy as well as staff at aid projects.

Meanwhile, Italy says its military has evacuated nearly 1,000 Afghan citizens out of Kabul over the last five days.

The Defense Ministry said that two flights carrying 207 Afghans arrived Saturday in Rome from Kuwait, which Italy is using as a staging ground for the Kabul evacuations.

Italy has deployed more than 1,500 servicemen and women to operate an airbridge from Kabul to Kuwait aboard four C130J aircraft, and to ferry evacuees to safety in Italy aboard four KC767s.

Italy began what it has dubbed Operation Aquila Omnia in June, bringing to safety 1,532 Afghan citizens to date. Eighty, including 33 women, arrived on Saturday at a base in South Tyrol, northern Italy, for a 10-day COVID quarantine.

In a video distributed by the ministry, an Afghan man who was brought to the base thanked "the Italian armed forces, who didn't leave us alone in Afghanistan. With all the difficulty, they brought us away."

Speaking with his back to the camera, he said the journey took two days. "We are tired. We are happy. We are now in a safe country," he said, expressing also hope that one day "if Afghanistan becomes safe, we can return to our country."