The airlift continues unabated – the Aquila Omnia operation organized by the Ministry of Defense – which brought 2,187 Afghans from Kabul to Italy, of which 641 men, 574 women and 667 children. In total, the number of evacuated from Afghanistan since the beginning of the Aquila operation is 3,350, of which 3,290 are Afghans.
Only today, according to the report of the Joint Chief Operating Officer, a total of 675 people were evacuated at the personnel level. From the beginning of the operation, between the Aquila operation and that of Aquila Omnia the total number of flights (Kabul-Kuwait and Kuwait-Rome) was equal to 37.
«The evacuation of Afghan citizens from Kabul is a very complex and delicate operation. A team effort thanks to the collaboration between the Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior and the information services ». Thus the Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini, during his visit today at the Operational Command of Vertice Interforze (COVI) in Rome.
The minister, who arrived at the “Francesco Baracca” military airport, in the Centocelle district, was welcomed by General Luciano Portolano, commander of the Covi, the command from which all international and national operations are managed, including “Operation Eos” for the vaccination campaign. “The Italian Armed Forces are carrying out a delicate job, cooperating effectively with all the players in the field” added the minister, participating in a briefing in which he received the update of the operational situation in Afghanistan and on the evolution of Aquila Omnia. The Italian military is cooperating with the Armed Forces of allied countries in response to the dramatic crisis in Kabul. Just yesterday evening, during a phone call with the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Minister Guerini thanked the Americans for the safety of the Afghan airport which “allows the various national missions – underlines the Defense – to implement the evacuation device even in a compromised and unstable context.