Germany sending A400M planes for Kabul evacuation

BERLIN: Germany's army is sending A400M transport aircraft to Kabul with 30 paratroopers each on board to evacuate embassy staff and their Afghan helpers as Taliban fighters surround the Afghan capital, Bild am Sonntag reported.

The Sunday paper cited unspecified sources as saying the planes would shuttle to a nearby hub, likely the Uzbek capital Tashkent, for onward charter flights.

A defence ministry spokesman said that an evacuation mission had been prepared through the night with the greatest urgency, but he declined to comment further on the newspaper report.

Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter, and an Afghan government minister said power would be handed over to an interim administration.

Taliban enter Kabul, on standby until peaceful transfer of power is agreed

Approval from the German parliament, which is required for such a military mission, will have to be given after the fact due to the urgency of the operation, the paper cited its sources as saying.

The government said on Saturday that the army was preparing to get embassy staff in Kabul and Afghan helpers out of Afghanistan, adding that the operation would be mandated by parliament.