Statement by Minister Coveney Providing Situational Update on Emergency Consular Assistance Team mission to Kabul

The pre-planned process of the withdrawal of our Emergency Consular Assistance Team (ECAT) mission to Kabul is now complete. ECAT was designed to be a short term phase of the ongoing consular response to the situation in Afghanistan. In line with other countries, the decision to withdraw today was made against the backdrop of an anticipated deteriorating security situation.

Since the deployment of the ECAT, comprising of two Irish diplomats and members of the Army Ranger Wing, 26 Irish citizens and residents were successfully supported to evacuate Afghanistan. This is in addition to the 10 people who had been evacuated prior to ECAT’s deployment. A total of 36 people have been evacuated.

The number of Irish citizens, residents and their family members requiring ongoing Irish consular assistance in Afghanistan is fluid. Over the last 48 hours we have been contacted by a significant number of additional people requesting assistance. We are now aware of approximately 60 Irish citizens and their family members requiring support, in addition to a further 15 Afghan citizens with Irish residency.

This is an ongoing consular operation and efforts will continue to support Irish citizens, residents and their dependants in Afghanistan. At this time, our strong advice is against coming to or remaining at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) due to security threats.

Minister Simon Coveney said:

“I would like to thank the members of the ECAT team for their rapid deployment to such a challenging and complex environment and for their excellent work in securing the successful evacuation of 26 people. I know there are many in Ireland today with deep concerns for family members, friends and colleagues who remain in Afghanistan. Along with other countries, our team needed to evacuate due to the deteriorating security situation. I can give full assurance that the overall consular effort is continuing and we remain strongly committed to assisting those requiring ongoing consular support in Afghanistan.”

ENDS