By The Associated Press
VILNIUS, Lithuania — A plane carrying the first group of Afghan interpreters who had worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan has touched down in the Baltic country.
The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that a total of 50 people were flown from Kabul via Warsaw, Poland.
They are the first of 115 interpreters who worked with Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2013, and Lithuania plans to bring all of them out of the country. The second group is expected to land in Vilnius later in the day.
Meanwhile in Norway, two planes from Afghanistan with a total of 278 passengers landed in Oslo, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.
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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:
— Taliban amid new report of abuses
— with Aug. 31 final pullout from Kabul
— , an afterthought not long ago
— amid Taliban’s Afghan blitz
— Taliban takeover prompts
— Find more AP coverage at
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
LONDON — Britain’s foreign minister says he can’t give a precise timeline about the end of U.K. evacuation flights from Afghanistan, but the mission will be over by Aug. 31.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said “it’s clear that the troops will be withdrawn by the end of the month.”
U.S. President Joe Biden has rejected pressure from Britain and other allies to extend the evacuation operation, saying it will end on Aug. 31. There are almost 6,000 American troops at the airport helping people flee the Taliban, along with smaller military contingents from other countries.
Raab said the British military will need time before the deadline to withdraw its people and equipment, but “we will make the maximum use of all the time we have left.”
He said British forces have airlifted 9,000 British citizens and at-risk Afghans from Kabul airport since the Taliban took the Afghan capital on Aug. 15.
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MOSCOW — Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan — its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began.
The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul.
Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention.
The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry noted.
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KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s government says 51 people evacuated from Afghanistan have arrived in the East African country at the request of the United States.
Authorities said in a statement that the group, transported to Uganda in a chartered flight, arrived early Wednesday. That statement said they included men, women and children. No more details were given on the identities of the evacuees.
Ugandan officials said last week the country will shelter up to 2,000 people fleeing the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. They said the Afghans would be brought to Uganda in small groups in a temporary arrangement before they are relocated elsewhere.
Uganda has long been a security ally of the U.S., especially on security matters in the region.
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CANBERRA, Australia — Australia says it has helped evacuate 955 people in five flights from Kabul’s airport overnight as the danger in Afghanistan increased.
Defense Minister Peter Dutton on Wednesday thanked U.S., British and New Zealand defense forces for their help in evacuating 2,650 people including Afghan nationals from the airport since Wednesday last week.
Tuesday was Australia’s most successful day in evacuating people including Afghans who had worked for the Australian government.
“There is more work to be done but, of course, we know the security threats on the ground continue to increase,” Dutton told Parliament.
The government would take the advice of the Australian Defense Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell “as to how long it is possible for us to stay in country to keep our own people safe and help those that have helped us,” Dutton added.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to comment on reports that up to 1,200 Afghans with Australian visas had been turned away from the airport.
Dutton said Australia has resettled 8,500 Afghans who helped Australia in the past five years.
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SEOUL, South Korea __ Seoul says about 380 people evacuated from Afghanistan will arrive in South Korea aboard military planes on Thursday.
Choi Jongmoon, second vice foreign minister, told a briefing Wednesday that the Afghans are those who had worked for South Korea-run facilities in Afghanistan including its embassy or their family members.
Choi says the government has decided to bring them to South Korea in consideration of “an ethical responsibility for our (Afghan) colleagues” and a responsibility as a member of the international community.
He says the Afghans will be sent to a government-run temporary accommodation facility upon their arrival in South Korea on Thursday.