KABUL — Around 30 Afghans previously
employed by Turkey as part of
NATO's deployment in Kabul staged a protest
Wednesday, accusing
Ankara of abandoning them in the wake of the Taliban's
return to power.
اضافة اعلان
Many had worked as interpreters or technical
staff at Kabul's military airport before the Taliban seized the capital on
August 15.
A few weeks before then, the
US military took over the airport until the last of its troops left on August 31 following
the chaotic evacuation of around 120,000 Afghans — most associated with the
20-year-long foreign military presence.
"We want justice," the group
chanted in front of the Turkish embassy in Kabul, saying they had not been paid
since the evacuation despite holding contracts valid until December 31.
Although the Taliban have banned public
protests, they allowed Wednesday's gathering to take place unhindered.
"We have been abandoned," lamented
protester Assadullah Rahmani, who said he worked as an interpreter for Turkey
for nearly two decades.
"We are facing the most difficult days
of our lives," added Mahmoud Hamraz, another interpreter.
"Nobody comes from the embassy to
listen to us, they do not even talk to us. It is a real disappointment."
The Turkish embassy declined to comment.
Thousands of Afghans are still desperately
trying to leave the country, claiming their links to the former
US-backed
government or Western forces and other foreign organizations make them a target
for the Taliban.
The Taliban insist there have been no
reprisals against anyone associated with the old regime, and have called on
Afghans to stay and help rebuild the country.
Afghanistan is in the grip of a crippling
economic crisis with the United Nations warning it is on the brink of the
world's worst humanitarian catastrophe.
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