As many as 18 Filipinos have opted to stay in Afghanistan despite calls asking the foreigners to leave the country after the takeover of Taliban.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Filipinos have expressed their intention to remain in Afghanistan for work despite calls for mandatory evacuation from the country issued in August.
The DFA said 20 more Filipinos were still in Afghanistan, two of whom requested for repatriation, But 18 others have stayed back in the country for “work reasons.”
According to Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., those who expressed the desire for stay included several who were working with Médecins sans frontières or Doctors Without Borders.
Since August 15, 191 Filipinos have left Afghanistan which includes three more Filipinos who were able to flee the country last weekend.
The DFA said many Filipinos were able to leave the capital Kabul for Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Norway, and Kuwait and several have since been able to return to the Philippines.
