The first batch of Turkish troops evacuated from Afghanistan landed in the country's capital on Thursday, according to flag carrier Turkish Airlines.
The first plane carrying Turkish soldiers who decided to be evacuated from Afghanistan landed in Ankara at 11.45 a.m. local time (08:45 GMT), said a Turkish Airlines Press Office statement.
The group of 345 Turkish Armed Forces personnel initially traveled from the Afghan capital Kabul to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, via a Turkish Air Force transport plane, then proceeded to Ankara on a Turkish Airlines flight.
Two more evacuation flights are set to take off from Istanbul on Monday, depending on demand, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Taliban takeover of Kabul last week set off a wave of evacuations via the Kabul airport, with a Taliban deadline of next Tuesday, Aug. 31, to finish the evacuations looming.
