The commander of the Czech military police unit negotiated with the Taliban for six hours – Aktuality.sk

As stated by the news server iDNES.cz, the unnamed commander of the KAMBA unit negotiated not only the evacuation of the employees of the Embassy of the Czech Republic but also the evacuation of all Afghan collaborators of the Czech Ministry of Defense.

“I had a meeting with my American counterpart on Saturday, August 14, and we said that it would last in Kabul until the end of August,” the commander recalls. The Taliban took control of the city the next day.

They loaded Czech diplomats into three cars and verified again at Kabul airport that they would be released there. “I also called the US embassy to start evacuating so they wouldn’t be surprised by our armed cars,” the commander said.

The Taliban controlled the access roads

However, on their way to Hamid Karzai Airport, they discovered that the Taliban had already controlled some access roads. “We suspected that we would move under unfavorable conditions. We dropped the ambassador at the airport and our team retreated back to the embassy, ​​”describes the development of the police officer. It was necessary to dispose of classified materials and provide additional equipment.

While other states have not even begun evacuation, members of the KAMBA unit have already prepared a list of local embassy staff.

“Less than fifty employees and their children and colleagues checked and brought them to the terminal,” adds the commander.

The situation worsened a few days later. “When we came to the gate, we found that no one was behind it and was surrounded by British soldiers. The commander told us that the Taliban had pushed the people deep into the city, “he said.

It was supposed to be improvisation

The commander left a colleague in a good shooting position to cover him. He put down his weapons, picked up his diplomatic passport, and walked with his hands over his head to the Taliban.

“They looked at me in astonishment, as if they didn’t believe that anyone had even allowed themselves to approach them,” the policeman remarks. He gave them names and they gradually brought him people from the list.

It never occurred to anyone else to negotiate with the Taliban. “It was an incredible improvisation. No training will prepare you for that. I’ve never been on a negotiation course, “he notes. He negotiated with them for six hours, and in addition to 81 people, he managed to get two more women from Poland on the plane.

The KAMBA commander and his colleagues and the Czech ambassador left Afghanistan with their second army flight. A total of 195 people arrived in Kabul from the Czech Republic in three days.

The speed of the evacuation, to which the commander of the KAMBA unit contributed significantly, was one of the reasons why the Czech Republic, unlike other countries, managed to send evacuation flights so quickly, writes the Army.cz website.

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