A look at the Defence news 23 - 29 August
On 26 August, the Netherlands – in the form of embassy staff and 90 military personnel – had to leave Kabul. The Dutch government spoke of a painful situation with far-reaching consequences for the people who qualify for evacuation but are still in Afghanistan. The final Dutch flight left that same night.
Since the airlift between Kabul and Islamabad in Pakistan was set up on 18 August, the Netherlands has brought more than 2,500 people to safety, including over 1,600 people bound for the Netherlands. Despite all of its efforts, the Netherlands has not managed to transport all of those qualifying for evacuation to the Netherlands.
RNLN seizes 2,160 kilos of cocaine in Caribbean
In the Caribbean, HNLMS Holland has managed to prevent 2,160 kilos of cocaine from reaching the market. This was done through an American-led collaboration focused on fighting international drug trafficking. Although the seizure took place before the patrol vessel headed for earthquake-hit Haiti on 20 August, the Ministry of Defence has only just announced the news.
Progress in Haiti: emergency hospital and water purification plant
Disaster relief operations in Haiti are in full swing. Netherlands military personnel are carrying out the tasks allocated to them by the coordinating aid organisations. The NH90 helicopter on board HNLMS Holland, for instance, searched for a location to set up an emergency hospital. The navy ship also transported a group of French military personnel who are going to build a water purification plant.
Chinooks return from Albania after 3 weeks of firefighting
2 Chinook transport helicopters and a 40-strong detachment have returned from Albania to the Netherlands. They had been in the country since 7 August to fight several fires. The Dutch helicopters carried out a total of 493 drops, which amounted to some 3 million litres of water.