EU to quadruple humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the €200m was on top of member states' contributions

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  People flown out of Kabul on a British Royal Air Force plane arrive at the RAF Brize Norton airbase in southern England. AFP

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  Ziaullah Qazizada embraces his son, Mesbahullah, at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in the US state of Minnesota. The 10-year-old had been stuck in Afghanistan after travelling to visit family in July. AP

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  A military aircraft waits at Kabul airport on Monday. AP

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  Families board a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft at Kabul airport. AP

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  Troops stationed at Kabul airport during the international evacuation effort. Reuters TV

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  A crowd waits to enter Kabul airport as thousands try to flee the city following the Taliban takeover. EPA

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  People arrive at Boryspil International Airport, outside the Ukrainian capital Kiev, after fleeing Afghanistan on board a Kam Air passenger plane. AFP

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  An Afghan refugee binds his hands with cable during a rally outside the UN refugee agency's office in Jakarta, Indonesia. Demonstrators have called for justice and resettlement. Reuters

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  A Japanese military transport aircraft departs from Iruma Airbase, north-west of Tokyo, on a mission to get Japanese citizens and Afghan staff at the Japanese embassy out of Kabul. EPA

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  Afghans wave a flag above a portrait of the late Afghan resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud in north-eastern Panjshir province, the only region of Afghanistan that has not yet fallen to the Taliban. AFP

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  Afghan resistance fighters and anti-Taliban troops stand guard at an outpost in Kotal-e Anjuman, Panjshir province. AFP

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  People travel on the Kandahar-Kabul road after fleeing their homes following the Taliban's return to power. EPA

The European Union is set to quadruple its humanitarian aid in 2021 to Afghanistan from €50 million ($58.71m) to more than €200m.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the decision would be announced at the G7 summit on Tuesday and would “come on top of member states’ contributions to help the people of Afghanistan”.

But the EU is expected to seek safety guarantees and the delivery of aid will be co-ordinated with the UN.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has complicated humanitarian efforts in the country.

On Saturday, Ms von der Leyen said “not a single euro can go to a regime … that denies women and girls their full freedom and rights to education and careers”.

“The situation is still very unclear and very unpredictable,” she said. “We will measure [the Taliban] above all by their deeds and their actions.”

The EU is set to begin talks this week on the possible consequences of recent developments in Afghanistan on security and migration in the 27-nation bloc.

It said most of its employees had been withdrawn from the country.

“We still have a core presence at the airport in order to manage what needs to managed, but the staff of the EU delegation and their families have all been evacuated,” a spokesman said.