Germany's armed forces have sent an aeroplane to Afghanistan to evacuate German citizens and Afghan local staff.
A Bundeswehr A400M transport plane took off from Wunstorf air base in Lower Saxony near Hanover bound for Kabul on Monday.
Bundeswehr paratroopers on the flight are to help bring German citizens and local helpers to safety.
According to security sources, a crisis support team made up of experts from various ministries is also due to arrive in the Afghan capital on Monday.
A second team is to organize a hub in the Uzbek capital Tashkent for dealing with people fleeing the advance of the militant Taliban in Afghanistan, according to security sources.
It is probably the largest evacuation operation of the Bundeswehr to date - and a dangerous one, as Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) made clear on Sunday evening in Berlin.
