The 33 Irish nationals who want to leave Afghanistan are scattered in Kabul and other parts of the country.
Not all of them will be waiting for flights at the airport in the capital.
An unknown group of them are Afghans, who acquired Irish citizenship and returned to their home countries before the Taliban came to power.
Sources close to the ground operations said that the U.S. military was coordinating flights from Kabul and would ultimately decide who should go and when.
When communicating with Irish citizens, especially through embassy staff in Abu Dhabi, communications within the country are rare and the channels are often followed by agencies such as the Red Crescent.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Simon Coweny confirmed that the number of Irish passport holders waiting to return home in Afghanistan had risen to 33:25 as adults and eight dependents.
Speaking at Newstock Breakfast, he said the government was working with European and British partners to secure seats on military planes for them when Kabul airport was safe.
“People don’t lag behind,” Coweny said.
He said it would take a few days for the evacuation of 33 people of dual nationality as the situation at the airport was still confusing.
They were expelled and Ireland relied on the United States to pass safely through Kabul airport.
Coweny said he was sure they would come out as long as the airport was safe, but the situation was unstable.
Tuesday’s emergency UN Security Council meeting will include “very good talks” with European countries that have agreed to unite to ensure the exit of all EU citizens from Afghanistan.
He said some countries have better resources than Ireland and therefore it makes sense to take advantage of it.
Ireland has no diplomatic or consular presence in Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, the State Department said its embassy in Abu Dhabi was in direct and constant contact with Irish citizens in Afghanistan “with the organizations we know – or, in some cases, the organizations they operate”.
“We continue to maintain close ties with other EU member states and other partners, most of whom are nationals. Regarding flight options for repatriation, the situation remains volatile.”
A spokesman declined to comment on the whereabouts of Irish citizens in Kabul or elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Independent TD and former Army ranger Kathal Berry called on Ireland to deploy special forces to Kabul airport to coordinate the removal of Irish civilians.
Speaking on RT Radio today, he said Dale could send up to 12 men from the Army Ranger Wing without the need to disband. “They may be there in 24 hours,” he added.
It is important that all countries make it easy for their citizens to get out, and that they should be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
He noted that the Rangers could join the British Army as they had done before on other missions. Currently, there are members of the Ranger Wing in Mali, lined up with German troops for a similar mission.
“Its job is to protect Irish citizens at home and abroad.”
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