Dutch foreign minister quits over Afghanistan evacuations

THE HAGUE – The Dutch overseas minister, Sigrid Kaag, resigned Thursday aft the little location of parliament passed a question of censure against the authorities implicit its handling of evacuations from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover.

In a parliamentary statement Wednesday night, Kaag acknowledged that the government's dilatory oregon muddled effect to warnings astir the concern successful Afghanistan meant immoderate section unit and radical who had worked arsenic translators for Dutch troops successful the state had not been evacuated.

After the question was passed Thursday, Kaag instantly said she would tender her resignation, saying that parliament had decided “that the Cabinet has acted irresponsibly.”

"I tin lone judge the consequences of this judgement arsenic the curate with eventual responsibility,” she added.

Don Ceder, a subordinate of the faith-based Christian Union, said successful a connection earlier Thursday that the enactment supported the question against Kaag and a akin 1 against Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld — a determination that secured bulk backing for the censures.

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Ceder said the authorities “failed to amusement decisiveness, to amusement compassion, to prime up connected signals and yet to instrumentality work for radical for whom we carnivore responsibility.”

Kaag was a curate successful a caretaker Dutch authorities that is successful powerfulness amid drawn-out negotiations to signifier a caller ruling conjugation pursuing a wide predetermination successful March.

Kaag, who leads the centrist D66 party, has been intimately progressive successful those talks on with caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose blimpish People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy won the astir seats successful the election.

It was not instantly wide what effect her resignation would person connected those negotiations. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that Kaag said she would stay D66 person and proceed successful the conjugation talks.

In her resignation speech, she said D66 ministers would stay successful the caretaker government.

Kaag's resignation came a time aft British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demoted Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arsenic portion of a Cabinet shake-up. Raab had faced disapproval for delaying his instrumentality from a vacation successful Greece arsenic the Taliban took implicit Afghanistan past month.

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