Graberhaus made this appeal at the Security Council, where mayors from all security districts consult.

The problem, according to his ministry, is that many of the reception sites housing evacuees are now only available for a short time. There is a need for places where they can stay longer. In particular, it is necessary to have reception places for minor foreigners who come to the Netherlands without a family, the minister said.

Short-term

The ministry said an additional 800 places are needed “in the short term”, and another 1,500 places are needed in a few weeks. The last category should be available for as long as possible.

The ministry did not say how it responded to this request. There is also still a search for 11,000 reception places for people who are currently at the front desk, but must already move into a house to make room for the new refugees.

Most of the people who have come to the Netherlands since the fall of Kabul this summer were hurriedly escorted out when the Kabul airport was still under the control of US military personnel. With the Taliban in control there, evacuations have become more complex. However, there are currently 33 Afghans who do not have a Dutch passport and are not Dutch relatives, who are on their way to the Netherlands.

On the way by plane

This was reported by the State Department this evening. It is related to a group enjoying residency status in the Netherlands. People are on their way from Kabul to Doha by plane.

In principle, the Taliban do not want any citizen to leave. The Ministry does not want to explain how this group of status holders can be removed. Obviously, Qatar helped.

There are currently about 2,000 Afghans in the Netherlands. They were evacuated at the insistence of Parliament. Watch footage of the chaos that erupted in Kabul as the Taliban advanced in this video: