France said it will evacuate its first nationals and Afghan colleagues from the fallen Afghan capital Kabul to a base in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, reports FRANCE 24.
"We are planning to carry out the first rotation between now and the end of this Monday," defence minister Florence Parly said, adding there were several dozen French citizens to be evacuated.
"We have organised at the base we have in the United Arab Emirates the capabilities to receive the first evacuees," Parly said.
These are for French nationals who remain in Kabul but also "people under our protection and who we are going to evacuate", Parly said.
The French base in the UAE "will serve as a military hub to ensure the back and forth between Abu Dhabi and Kabul and then repatriation in France", Parly added.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.
Read Mediapart's background to the plight of Afghan civilians who helped the French here.