Afghanistan rescue mission gets 11 NZ citizens, residents and family out of Taliban-controlled country

Many people with New Zealand passports or visas were unable to be evacuated before the mercy missions ended. Photo / NZDF

Another 11 New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and their family members were retrieved last night from Kabul, the Taliban-controlled capital of Afghanistan.

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were grateful for the Government of Qatar in providing safe passage for this group.

The extrication comes after another 11 Afghan nationals with visas and one New Zealand citizen arrived safely in New Zealand in the past week.

A MFAT spokesperson said they "expect more in the coming weeks" after 48 New Zealanders and visa holders have made their way to New Zealand with New Zealand Government support since evacuations ended on August 27.

The Government says it has been working on "phase two" evacuation plans after mercy missions were cut short in late August after two deadly suicide attacks outside Hamid Karzai International Airport at the country's capital, Kabul.

A NZ military plane had evacuated a group from Kabul in August but such evacuations have since been stopped due to the Taliban control of the city and suicide bomb attacks at the airport. Photo / NZDF

On Wednesday, there were around 365 people with links to New Zealand who are still in Afghanistan, including former NZDF interpreters already granted visas to leave, where the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) says the situation remains "highly volatile and dangerous" and the threat of a terrorist attack "very high".

The country quickly fell back into the hands of the Taliban after New Zealand, the US, and other Nato allies left the country earlier this year after two decades of war.

A new petition has been launched this week urging the Government to save Afghan nationals who supported Kiwi troops and now face "systematic murder and execution".

National Party spokesman for counter-terrorism Mark Mitchell is behind the new petition, saying it is "not good enough that the Government has abdicated its responsibility to our international partners, abandoning our people and expecting Australia and others to pick up the slack".

It comes after ex-NZDF personnel launched their own petition to rescue Afghan nationals who worked with them during the 20-year deployment to the country. It has already received more than $40,000 in donations.