Rights groups call on EU to protect Afghans fleeing Taliban

Human rights and refugee groups appealed on Thursday to the European Union (EU) to step up its help for people trying to flee Afghanistan, accusing the bloc of failing to do enough to assist those liv

Human rights and refugee groups appealed on Thursday to the European Union (EU) to step up its help for people trying to flee Afghanistan, accusing the bloc of failing to do enough to assist those living in fear of Taliban rule.

More than 100,000 people were airlifted out of Kabul in a chaotic exodus late last month after President Joe Biden announced that U.S. troops would withdraw, and the Taliban seized control of strife-torn Afghanistan in just a few weeks. Thousands more Afghans want to leave.

In new figures released on Thursday, the EU’s asylum agency said that asylum applications by Afghans numbered 7,300 in July – before the government fell – a 21% increase over June and the fifth consecutive monthly rise. Almost 1,200 were unaccompanied minors, European Asylum Support Office (EASO) reported. More than half of asylum applications by Afghans in Europe are rejected.